CruisingNewb

Also, I have a bunch of Coastal Kitchen food pics if they will help you out in the future.  Hit me up.

@PG CruiserThanks for this!!! What a labor of love!

Just so you get some kind of tangible acknowledgment (or at least some acknowledgement that the project is helpful), Your guide has coaxed us to try SEVERAL dishes that weren't on our radar like the Beet Salad and Lamb Wellington from CP150, Playmakers Onion Ring Tower, and a bunch of other dishes we weren't thinking of prior to our last sailing to the Bahamas.

13 minutes ago, J_Keeble said:

i'm from the UK and id lose my deposit i believe. its very different from US sailings. I may be wrong however 

Ah...okay, I guess that makes sense?  Maybe you should call and talk to RCCL and see if they can work with you.  Its alot of money to pay for a no show.

Just now, J_Keeble said:

correct yes, i was desperate to book a cruise with the idea my mate will come but I don't think he can really afford it. regardless I'm going but I'm just wondering about the drink package scenario.

 

Maybe it is that simple just to cancel him off it nearer the time?

Right, but my question really becomes this: Why not cancel and rebook as a solo cruiser now?  You have to eventually pay for someone who is not going.  By "you" I mean someone has to pay right?  If you get out and rebook now, you end up saving money (I think) on your no-show mate's cruise fare and can use that money for your DBP without having to worry about the second cruiser right?  Am I missing something?

Not really sure what this scenario is.  The cruise is in November right? Your post makes it seem that your "mate" is most-likely going to be a no show.  Is this correct?

Have you fully paid for the cruise?  I guess what I am getting at is why are you paying for a no show guest?  I may be missing something but if you cancel that guest reservation and be a solo cruiser, then you have no issue right?  I dunno.  Its early in the morning for me and I haven't had enough coffee yet to fully understand forum posts.

I don't see what the big deal is guys.  

I just went ahead and got my "head test" and the doctor said I was fine.  

What's wrong with Royal checking up on you to make sure you were thinking straight before dropping $$$$ on a cruise?  I find that they are being very responsible in assiting with mental health.  

Thank you for the "head test" reminder RCCL!

These questions are always entertaining.  The overall theme of the questions, except for when there are legitimate medical or dietary concerns, is that people want conforts of home on vacation.  Of course, it is understandable.  

We are Asian.  My family craves passable Asian food every few days or so.  

We used to pack Korean cup noodles on our cruises.  Eventually, we realized that some of Royal's "asian" foods were passable and we didn't really need those cup noodles.  

My point here is, again absent legitimate concern, does it make or break the vacation if you don't eat your favorite nuts during a week-long cruise?  If so, get off on port days and buy some.  I try...as much as possible...not to recreate anything from home or work during vacation.  To me, a cruise is about NOT being at home.

Leave your favorite snacks, streaming devices, favorite blankets, etc at home and explore the ship, ship food, and ship ammenties.  This may mean that some experiences are bad.  Well, that is life and that is what it means to try new things.  Otherwise, why not vacation at home?

I recently began researching other cruise lines, just to see what is out there besides the 3 cruise lines we have tried out.

We find Royal to be right in the middle in terms of most aspects of cruising, with dining being closer to the top.

As to noise levels, there are party cruises out there (names I won't mention) that are way louder than RCCL.

Then, there are cruiselines that go the complete opposite way and the ships seem really quiet.

IMO, loud is annoying, but silence is boring.  I try to experience the "loudness" on a ship from the perspective that it is lively instead of annoying.  It doesn't always help my ears, but it helps in my overall mood.  

Im not trying to discount anyone's feelings or experiences.  

On 1/31/2025 at 4:12 PM, twangster said:

Bass would cause the rivets in the hull to loosen.

there are alot of live bands that use Bass players playing through Bass amps.

3 minutes ago, Doug_Texas said:

Agree 100%.  We went to Wonderland once and loved it but have no interest in going back for dinner.  Every time we are on a ship with Wonderland we go to the bar once so my wife can get the “cotton candy martini”.

Hate to admit it, but I also continue to visit the bar for the Cotton Candy Martini.  

11 hours ago, PPPJJ-GCVAB said:

I’ve never tried it but just might have to on my upcoming Symphony cruise!

Us too!  Symphony in June!  Already have JR free breakfast on the itinerary.  Would also like to try their onion rings to compare with Playmakers.  Playmakers onion rings are battered whereas the Johnny Rockets ones looks breaded.  

How long can we keep saying JR free breakfast is the best "secret" when Matt keeps blabbing about it on his YouTubes?  

Sorry in advance - first time RCCL Suite Guest

I didn't get my preferred boarding time for my 7 night Bahamas sailing out of Bayonne.  I got 11:30 am.

It is my first time as a Suite Guest though.  Crown Loft Suite.

Can I just board at 10 - 10:30 am with suite perks?  

Wife and I have differing interpretations of the priority boarding:

1. Priority boarding for the time slot?  Meaning we board first amongst the 11:30 people?

OR

2. Priority Boarding and I can just show up at the earliest time?

Thank you in advance.

We quite enjoyed Wonderland the first time we had it.  There were some slight changes to the menu for our second time.  We do not plan to ever visit Wonderland again, but not because it wasn't any good, we just feel like it was a one-off.  Very unique, fun, and delicious experience, but wouldn't need to revisit.  We don't regret the second trip, but just feel like we would rather eat somewhere else.  

We sail on June 13.  I reserved shows last week.  

One interpretation would mean that I could reserve June 1.  The other interpretation would suggest I could reserve May 1.

Neither applied to me.

Just check often.  

6 minutes ago, TexanTwoStep said:

Are they children?  Seriously dont understand people like this.....

No.  Young adults.  They just really like fried chicken, chicken fingers, and pizza.  They rarely do seafood, but then again, Matt rarely does seafood.  

I am an equal opportunity eater.  I eat everything without discriminating.  Doesn't mean I like everything, just will to try. 

1. Harr Travel - Objective even from the view point of a saleman. Only complaint is he is so damn tall. HAHA

2. Matt (Royal Caribbean Blog) - high quality, consistently up to date, great charisma.  Sorry @Matt my only complaint is sometimes you strongly say things that are not widely applicable to newer cruisers or moderate cruisers like the whole drink package opinion.  I can't gamble enough or even cruise enough to be able to not get the DBP. LOL BRING BACK the Wind-Jah-meer pronunciation! 

3. Views and Queues - enthusiastic.  Only complaint is that they only eat chicken fingers (mostly) and have a limited palate.  

4. Adventures in Millerland - I can relate to a family with teens and of a similar station in life.  I also like their methods of evaluating (mostly pros and cons, but they are semi-methodical).  Only complaint is we can't get enough of them.

5. Chris Wong - Honest, candid, crew member perspective of cruising changes how I travel.  I only wish he used a better gimbal sometimes.

The ONES I DO NOT LIKE - the complainer YouTubers, the YouTubers who cannot manage a respectable camera distance relative to their faces (sometimes I do not need to see all of the eyebrow hairs on your forehead), and the Clickbaiters...sometimes you don't need a misleading title of your video to get my attention.

Yes.  Check past cruise compasses.  Day 1 is Day 1 is Day 1.  Never changes.  The day that you set foot on the ship is Day 1.  

Hello you Fabulous Cruisers and Experts!

We have not cruised RCCL since they made the change to allow UDP purchasers to reserve prior to sailing.

We have now experience most RCCL Specialty Dining and realize that the UDP is not for us.  It makes it harder for us to enjoy the included food as we feel compelled to try out all Specialty Dining. 

Sooooo....the option that fits best for us is the 3 night package.  

QUESTION: Since the UDP Pre-Boarding Reservation allowance, has it been more or less difficult to get reservations on embarkation day?

Our general rule for my family:

Curb expectations relative to the environment.

Its a cruise ship.  They have a massive staff to feed thousands of people.  Even if they call it a "specialty restaurant", it is not going to necessarily mean the best food ever.  Last summer, we went to Europe.  We ate at several places in France.  Then for dinner, in the MDR, we had escargot.  LOL obviously, it was not going to stack up, but was it tasty? Yes. 

Giovanni's and Jamie's are pretty tasty too.  Do they serve phenomenal Italian food? Not really.  IMO.

We haven't tried Hooked and are booked to try on the SOS this summer.  I have eaten at La Bernadin.  There will be no comparison.  But I can only imagine, based upon my curbed expectations, that Hooked will offer tasty seafood.  

These types of questions are so subjective and I can only offer this advice, try, try, and try.  

How is a 5-day cruise compared to a 7-day cruise????

The 5-day cruise is two (2) days too short.  

Here is a hack I have used in the past.  We bring a slice of cheese pizza back to the room from Sorrentos.  On the next morning, we go to windjammer and add a little scrambled eggs and whatever else breakfast toppings.  We really like the bacon crumbs leftover from the bacon station.  We add a little cheese and place them in the toaster.  Yum.  Now, it depends on the toaster that the particular ship uses.  Some ships have toasters that are vertically inclined and the slices go in at the top and slide down.  Some ships have conveyor belt toasters.  Those WON'T work at all.

After having done the UDP a couple of times, we have opted out of UDPs and now go with 3 night specialty dining plus 2 lunches a la carte.  

For my family, there are a couple of restaurants that offer cheaper lunch meals where we don't feel like we are missing out.  

For example, Izumi for lunch is around $25 cheaper per person and the menu for lunch still offers the same dishes we would normally order anyways: ie sashimi plate, crispy rice spicy tuna, green tea ice cream.  So we have learned that some restaurant lunch offerings fit us better in terms of pricing and food selection.  Chops is another one.  My wife likes filet.  I really love the burger and wild mushroom soup.  I was a chef for fine dining restaurants for years, I can make my own ribeye at home, but the burger and mushroom soup are really yummy, so we would rather save the $30 price difference per person and have lunch at Chops.

Sorry, I was not entirely correct.  The Youtuber's friend "does not eat meat" (not allergic), and the Chef brought out shrimp and clams.

If you don't have a beef allergy and simply dislike filet mignon, as I do as well, DO NOT tell them you have an allergy.  I believe that when you tell RCCL of food allergies beforehand, they go to great lengths to accommodate you.  I would hate for you to miss out on a yummy ribeye at Chops because you were simply trying to avoid filet at Chef's Table.

There is a Youtube out there where a person simply told the waiter that they did not want Filet.  The chef prepared the person a plate of shrimp or something.  It is a pretty recent Youtube.  If I can find it, I will post it here.