DAVE(Darkcabbie)

Now there's a great start to your day Shawn , a great steak with some eggs :) .

Now if only for breakfast! Steak & eggs anyone?!

It's on our bucket list also. We enjoy the smaller ships, if 96000 tons is small, so hopefully we'll get there before further bans.

Not sure if anyone has seen this article http://blog.cruisecritic.co.uk/index.php/2013/11/08/cruise-critic-readers-respond-venice-bans-cruise-ships/blog
 
The days of huge cruise ships sailing up the central Giudecca Canal into St. Mark’s Basin in Venice are numbered. From January 2014 the number of vessels weighing more than 40,000 tons authorised to cross the Giudecca canal — in front of St Mark’s Square, in the heart of the city – will be cut by up to 20% from 2012 levels. And in November 2014, ships weighing over 96,000 tons will be banned from the route completely. More info in the link above.
 
This is one of the things on my bucket list so i better move quickly as it may not stop at the ships weighing the above and could possibly see them stopping all Cruise ships sailing up the Giudecca Canal in the next few years.
 
I understand why they are doing this but it will be a shame to loose such a magnificent sail in view  :( .
 
Has anyone sailed into Venice and what are your thoughts on the possibility of this happening.

Now that is handy to know.
 
Chops Grill as soon as you get on board mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm  :D 
 
Although i would miss the Honey Stung Chicken but luckily room service has it on their menu.
 
So if any of the RC ships we go on has Chops available on the first day this will definatley become our 1st RC tradition  :)

On some ships you can eat in Chops or Portofino on the first day lunch if the Windjammer gets too busy

The Johnny Rockets brand in the US is not known for out of this world gourmet burgers. I've eaten at several JR's onboard Royal Caribbean ships and I've always been happy with my meal, but you are right, not excellent quality. For me, the onion rings and fries are better than the burger. I'm not a huge meat eater, so I could skip the (messy greasy) burger all together.
 
I don't know why Royal Caribbean partnered with Johnny Rocket's in the first place. A 1950's diner and cruise line don't seem to have a lot in common. I know it is fun and different, but none of their other restaurants seem to be chain based. 
 
DARKCABBIE, you demonstrate a good point from your JR first impression. For the most part, dining onboard a Royal Caribbean ship is an upscale inviting experience with quality ingredients and attention to detail. This, however, isn't the case when dining at Johnny Rockets, simply because the food is, well, diner food and the experience would be dragged down if it were any more upscale than a 1950's diner could be. Right?
 
So for people who are eating at JR's for the very first time and who do not know the JR brand or what it stands for might be let down by subpar service and mediocre food. After all, the servers at JR don't exactly "fall all over you" like they do at a specialty restaurant or in the main dining room. :)

So you got to the show late right before curtain call and the theater is packed, you'll probably find great seats availble in the first 4 or 5 rows up front, go on down!

I would expect an announcement about a new ship homeporting in Southampton soon. Possibly Anthem of the Seas. Either that or an announcement about Oasis 3 stopping there or Allure stopping there when she goes to drydock in 2015.
 
I have not been on Adventure of the Seas but I do know that she does not have Chops Grill. Only Portofino Italian Restaurant currently. However, Adventure of the Seas is scheduled to be updated in April 2014, so Chops might be added (along with many other restaurants) at that time.

Yes, Adventure of the Seas has a Chops Grille.  Adventure is a great ship, smaller than Indy (Voyager class) but should compare well to the ship since Freedom is basically a larger Voyager class ship.

Thought this would be a good place to tell us about all the need to knows while on board

Great topic! I love to hear about hidden things! Always nice to learn new things!

That's a great point Matt! The same wait staff each night can really make the cruise! One of my favorite things about cruising.

The best thing for me about a cruise is that everything I enjoy (sun, food, entertainment, shopping, productions/performances/shows) all happen within walking distance and I never have to drive anywhere! And the nicest way to end an evening after an awesome meal is to see a live production.
 
I'm a big fan of production shows, Broadway, ice skating etc. I will say that I have seen many shows onboard Royal Caribbean ships and some are high quality while others are somewhat dorky or even embarrassing to watch.
 
One of my all time favorite shows I've seen onboard a Royal Caribbean ship was "Now You See It" The Magic of Drew Thomas onboard Freedom of the Seas (Hairspray on Oasis of the Seas was also equally great).
 
Drew Thomas was on America's Got Talent and now has a permanent show onboard Freedom of the Seas. I think the show is performed twice per cruise (on the same night) and I think Drew flies to meet the ship? I don't know, but he does other things besides his once a week show onboard the ship. So I don't know how that works!
 
The show is filled with videos, upbeat music, (not regular pop cover music), dancing, and of course magic! 
 
Here is a "Now You See It" preview:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySsIejBhWb8
 
The ending show number "Snow" is the most amazing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_2g6020QZU

You are gonna have so much fun, which ship are you sailing on ?.
 
Shawn is right about going to the maitre d they always have spots available but you must do it as soon as you get on board :) .
 
I'm with Don about Chops Grill we spent both our formal nights there and it was fantastic, probably the best Steaks you will ever have.

Hi! You can go to the maitre d once on board and request the earlier seating. There usually is spots that open up in my experience. My time dining is a great option too. It helps spread cost of your trip and you can eat at different times each day depending on your activities if you wish. It's just like making reservations.

We also like to dine earlier. We always select my time dining. Easy to get reservations between 5:30 - 6:15. Request them 2 months in advance on-line. You can pick same time same table or different times with different tables each night. Highly recommend Chops Grill speciality in lieu of MDR one night-- Superb!

Key West is always high on our list. Peppers of Key West has best sauces in the South.

Wow that question really makes you think.

Here's our top 10 of things we would like to do with 1 more for luck.
1. If RC ever do it a Round the World Cruise.
2. Southampton to New York a few days there and then New York to Southampton.
3. Go through the Panama Canal.
4. Hawaiian Cruise.
5. An Alaskan cruise.
6. Climb to the top of the Rock wall on the ship.
7. Stand up straight for at least 1 minute on the Flowrider.
8. The Zip Line on the Oasis.
9. See the Northern Lights.
10.Get the biggest Suite they have.
11.Sail into Venice

Really enjoyed all the posts. As we will be going on the Liberty of the seas it was giving me alot of insight into the ship we will be on.  So I will be honest. I have never eaten at a specialty restaurant mainly cus I have always enjoyed the other food that they offer and its already included but between you and Matt I have been thoroughly convinced to try Chops as I am a huge steak lover. Every time I read a post of someone going there or see pictures I am more reassured that I will be trying it out when we cruise.  Thanks again for the detailed Posts 

My wife is a big fan of the ice show on Freedom of the Seas

While on the Indy we saw a show called the Bohemians which was a Queen tribute act and they were really good.  :D 
 
If you like Queen and they are ever on your ship ship go see them as they are as close to the real thing as it gets, vocals are spot on and the show is non stop music.

I always eat too much before I get to the sides.  I think Tyler's idea might be worth trying at least once.

When I go to Chops I could skip steak all together and just eat the salad and all the sides! :)

Not to worry, I'll describe the experience on Enchantment in Dec. & Serenade (May 2014) in detail so you don't forget what you're waiting for. Don't forget, in cruise time 10 months is next week! It will be interesting to see if quality of food & service is comparable across the fleet-- I'm confident the answer is yes. Our Rhapsody meal this Spring was same as you described on Independence & Matt on Freedom. Also agree with you that Windjammer quality & fare is best afloat with only sister company Celebrity being very similar & comparable.