HBCcruiser

You have the low prices @CruisingSteve
 

We are! A gal cruise - me, my adult daughters and my SIL! So excited for this cruise!

We are! A gal cruise - me, my adult daughters and my SIL! So excited for this cruise!

The Royal Beach Club will be almost a neighbor to Atlantis (less than a mile down the beach).  The water taxis will simply cross the harbor from the pier to RBC.  If they run frequently enough, it will even be faster to get there than Atlantis.

The Suite Concierge is very specific about when they respond. They have a specific time throughout the day where they will respond to emails for the upcoming sailing, and it seems they are busy tending to the needs of the current passengers most of the day. When writing an email to them, I try to provide as much information as I can to make the most out of the email.

I was able to reserve all dining and shows on the nights that we wished 4 days before the cruise left. I asked the concierge to send me the list of shows, which they did the next day. I was able to send them this list of dining and I replicated this same list for the shows throughout the week that we could reserve. They prefer a list such as this one as it gives them clear information as to the day, the restaurant, the time, and how many people will be in your party.

 
SUITE #
 Day
Date
Port
Day
Restaurant
Time
# of Guests
8660 / 8654 
SATURDAY
11-Jun
MIAMI, FLORIDA
1
MY TIME DINING
7:00 PM
7
8660 / 8654 
SUNDAY
12-Jun
AT SEA
2
HOOKED
7:00 PM
7
8660 / 8654 
MONDAY
13-Jun
SAN JUAN, PR
3
MY TIME DINING
7:00 PM
7
8660 / 8654 
TUESDAY
14-Jun
ST. THOMAS
4
CHOP'S
7:00 PM
7
8660 / 8654 
WEDNESDAY
15-Jun
ST. MAARTEN
5
COASTAL KITCHEN
7:00 PM
7
8660 / 8654 
THURSDAY
16-Jun
AT SEA
6
MY TIME DINING
7:00 PM
7
8660 / 8654 
FRIDAY
17-Jun
COCOCAY, BAHAMAS
7
JAMIE'S
7:00 PM
7

I am on Navigator as we speak.  Two of these bags were delivered to our room and I've gotta say these bags are very substantial, very well made, and very attractive.  When I get home in a week I'll post some actual photos.👍

The I.T. Intern strikes again
 
 

 

This was exactly why I like to cruise - same room/unpack once.  No complaints with the excursions as those were all excellent.  It was just not having clean towels before 4:00-5:00 pm daily!  We were on excursions every day so we were out of our cabin for most all day so there was no excuse.  I always make my bed anyway so all I require is clean towels and empty the trash.

My cruise last week just had the cooler in the plastic bag. No water bottles. So I called to ask about them and they delivered 6 regular sized non-Evian bottles to our room within a few hours. That worked great for us - they gave us an additional 4 bottles with the diamond gifts too. Haven't used the bag yet but it's a nice size for bringing beers/sodas/waters to the beach or on another excursion - see pictures!

Here's the info for ya!  😀
https://www.virginvoyages.com/sites/sailing-club

Think of your luggage as 3 categories. 
The big stuff - This goes to the porters
The carryon stuff - Things like your wine, clothes for first night dinner etc.  This gets dropped off
Your valuables - Passports, meds, stacks of cash.  This stays with you in a small daypack.

Wine pairing is the essence of Chef's Table.  The experience is all about pairing wine with food.    If you aren't into wine that's something I'd ask you Genie about but it's kind of like going to a premium car wash when you don't own a car.  

We are ... well Norwegian changed their levels. We were Platinum Plus with Norwegian, now i think we're well into their Sapphire tier (Royal's Diamond equivalent) with only a few points to go to reach the next level (Royals D+equivalent). But we are waning on them for several reasons, like cutbacks icw DSC hikes and now their return to a standard muster. 
Don't get me wrong. There are some things i prefer about Norwegian over Royal, which I'm hesitant to say here. But I'll try to say it delicately, i guess.  We do like the Haven experience better in that no matter your loyalty status, you're not getting Haven privileges without staying in the Haven. I know Royal tries to curb this, but the Haven is never crowded and we're never fighting over dinner reservations in the Haven, need standing reservations, etc. 
For us, we'll go by itinerary and price, but i have to say, all things being equal, we're leaning more Royal now. 

NCL has had to make a lot of cutbacks - cleaning of cabins down to one time daily, reduction in entertainment staff, menu items being switched out for cheaper items (Filet for NY Strip). The POA has had trouble since the restart. Most of their staff are Americans who did not re-up their contracts. Staffing is a huge issue on that ship. A lot of avid NCL cruisers are looking elsewhere due to cutbacks and increasing costs. 

The fact that it sank before it was even finished being built makes for a good story, too.

Funny you mentioned it....   I was on the phone today with my concierge for a b2b I'm doing on another line. She was amazing, so sweet. Being very personable she asked did we ever sail before? Well, 10 minutes telling her about Royal and how it was more fiscally prudent etc. etc. 
I just thought it was funny how I wanted to try a new/different ship/line and I'm telling this representative how she must try Royal!  I Crack myself up sometimes!!!

Went on my Jan 20th cruise telling my wife I had a surprise for her in the room. Nice surprise. A letter stating that her tote was out of stock (even though is showed in stock on the website) and we would get an onboard credit or our credit card refunded, neither has happened!

Boarded Oasis yesterday and our cooler bag was sitting on the table,  full of ice with 6 of these giant glass bottles water sitting next to it. I thought they made a mistake and left bottles of vodka..lol. 

Wow. Just wow.
The only thing I see RCCL did that is questionable was to let you board in the first place.  
They gave you a second cabin.  You only paid for one.
RCCL is not responsible for your relationship.
Of all the ridiculous complaints I've seen from first time posters, this one takes the cake.
Suck it up buttercup.  You and your friend ruined your vacation... not RCCL.

It appears the coolers are delivered wrapped up.
Photo courtesy of Warren Caesar

It was $45, which is why it is a better deal through the gifts website.

I just purchased a cooler with the water for each of my kids’ rooms (along with one for my room 😏) for our July family cruise.  Figure they can use them anytime during the cruise…take to the pool…take to CocoCay…and they’ll have a souvenir of our long awaited special cruise!  As my grandkids keep reminding me…it’s been a 3 year wait for this cruise to happen…are we really getting to do it this time?   A little more than six months to go and I hope and pray nothing is going to stop us this time!

....Nassau....the price you pay for Coco Cay.....

I think in general he is correct.  So many return guests don't leave the ship.  Why is that?  They are near the bottom in surveys just above Freeport.  That's doesn't say much about how Nassau is received by the cruising public.
If you are into drugs there is a beach you walk to be and you'll be offered a choice of drugs.  That's not a good look and a pretty poor family experience.
Royal is building their beach club next door to establish a place that can be something to do and somewhere to go because without it there is little point getting off the ship. 
Nassau needs to be honest with itself if it wants to change.  Griping about cruise ships guests not leaving the ship won't accomplish anything.  Someone needed to say it.