BowTieBrigade

I’m not even sure Navigator’s is open yet. Might want to check roll calls and ask recent cruisers.

@10-42What was the situation in Seattle? Arrival times enforced?

Yes, the escape rooms and laser tag were advertised over covid, despite them being closed. I eventually learned through these forums that they were not operational, but not before deciding with my kids to book a sailing on a ship that featured those activities. Needless to say, they were very disappointed that the distinguishing features of the ship we chose would not be offered. And disappointment is not what Royal should be chasing when trying to pull its business back from insolvency.

But that’s not what anyone is expecting. We’re expecting transparency and truth in advertising. Don’t highlight restaurants and features that aren’t open. Let us know what we’re paying for. That’s all.

This is exactly it. We had a sailing booked on Serenade. We paid the deposit penalty to switch to Ovation because we felt the advertised options were more kid-friendly. If those are not available because RCCL made the decision to sail more ships than they had the staffing for, I think it's only fair that my deposit penalty be returned.

Also, it seems like the limited availability of Alaska cruises, combined w/ the desire to really take in the scenery, results in far less cabin availability on these ships than I have seen to other destinations. Book the cabin you want now.

What’s the rule on the app portion of the drill? Can I run the family through it before we leave home or does it have to be registered as played through the ship’s WiFi?

That was the story going around on my last cruise - the main production show was shut down due to “injury”.

The in-laws are diamond plus and keep insisting that everyone should get interior cabins because you’re never in there anyway. Since we travel with our two young boys, I have to disagree with their take. Balcony cabins can be lifesavers for the right cruisers.

I don’t recall them on either Adventure or Navigator

Between staffing shortages, supply line problems, and the natural time it takes for the staff to get used to their new surroundings, I don’t think it’s worth the price, which is higher on the inaugural sailing.

I heard you hid the staff

I’m a sucker for Knotts Berry Farm and Roscoes Chicken & Waffles

This raises a question I’ve had for some time. Do staff members know you have pre-tipped?

Same net effect WRT experience, for sure. But there are many who are rightly pointing out that sailings with full staff counts that are reduced by covid outbreaks cannot “staff up” due to unpredictability and occupancy limitations. On the other hand, RCCL knowing of a staffing shortage and booking passengers beyond what the ships are capable of handling with their known staffing numbers is bad business practice.

It seems as if there are two discussions trying to occupy the same space. One is talking about understaffing and the other is talking about full staffing with reductions caused by Covid. Aside from the fact that RCCL is currently recruiting, is there any information that ships are or are not fully staffed without the Covid quarantines?

Ultimately what this comes down to is knowing what you are paying for. RCCL has not changed what is advertised on its website and items like Northstar can be the difference in selecting one cruise over another. Getting what you pay for, or at least being given the opportunity to make an informed decision rather than a roll of the dice is not a big ask. It’s certainly not something that should be taken out on staff but there is a wide chasm between the company not living up to expectations and belittling staff members.

RC ramping up capacity beyond staffing is unacceptable. We’ve got four sailings booked and if our Ovation sailing is similar to our Navigator trip, we might have to cancel until the product matches the price.

Oh, the surf and turf was fantastic!

We brought a full bag on Navigator over Christmas and were able to find others early on in the trip. However, they dried up after a few days. I think staff probably disposed of them, whether for Covid reasons or otherwise.

The one time I ate there, we were allowed to order as much as we wanted. I don’t know if that’s the policy, but I read advice on here that, if you aren’t presumptuous about it and explain that it’s your first time and you know you will like one item but want to be adventurous and try something you’re unsure of, they’ll accommodate. I do think that some specialty restaurants like Chopped are limited to one item per course per person, but some of the smaller specialities will allow you to order whatever you want.

Common wisdom is that it doesn’t matter because it’s a round trip with lots of turning around to get 360 degree views of everything but I’ve also heard that you want starboard so you get the views on the way north, while the scenery is still new to you.

We’ve done a rear-facing balcony and you don’t get much view beside the wake unless the ship turns around.