CruisingNewb

Oh, I forgot to mention:

If the mattress topper was "used" as you stated, then yes, you expect too much LOL.  That was a joke.

Seriously, you stated that the topper was "worn."  If you don't address the issue right there and then, it may be likely that the room attendant/RCCL will simply use that topper for the next cruise and someone else will also sleep poorly.  Address the issue right there and then.  Hopefully there is a solution.  After-the-fact complaints don't help you while you are on your cruise.

Did you ask for a new mattress topper?  We did on our last cruise and the room attendant had one brought over in about an hour.  We have never slept badly on an RCCL cruise.  Having said that, each cruiser and experience is different.  Sorry you did not sleep well.

Stamina.  

Also take clothing that is one size larger.  You will probably need them after the second week! 

All kidding aside, I am SO JEALOUS.  Ovation is a GREAT ship.

so sad.  Baltimore often gets a bad rap but I love Baltimore.  

Thoughts and prayers to all those affected both directly and indirectly. 

Time and time again, I have said that the "unlimited" packages, whether drinks, food, etc, are not a simple math debate.

Why do some people eat fast food?  Why do some people go to a diner to eat? Why do some people go to drive-thru car washes?  Is it because its cheap?  Maybe.  Is it because we don't know how to make a cheeseburger? Maybe. Most likely, the answer is because of the convenience factor.

I can easily make a cheeseburger at home for significantly less than paying for one at any restaurant.  I can wash my own car for cheaper than the automated car wash.  But I just don't have the time or energy sometimes.  

When you are on vacation, you are not there to do math.  The oft unspoken benefit of the drinks packages is that I can sit by the pool, order a drink, if I like it, order another one, if I don't like it, order another one, repeat, and I don't have to add up the costs, go to guest services and settle my tab, etc.  That is the longest run-on sentence I have ever written. LOL

Its a personal decision and I do not criticize anyone one way or another, but its worth mentioning that convenience and peace of mind is a hidden benefit of the drink package.

On 3/1/2024 at 9:36 AM, SpeedNoodles said:

I had the UDP on Icon. I get it on most Oasis-class ships.  We regretted getting it on Icon, though.   Not because the specialty restaurants weren't good, they were.  But there are SO many great complimentary or low-priced options that we were actually finding ourselves feeling obligated to eat at the specialty restaurants when we really wanted to eat at the AquaDome Marketplace or Basecamp.  If we hadn't done the UDP, the money we would have spent at Playmakers, Basecamp, and Izumi in the Park would have been far less than the UDP.  And there are no new specialty restaurants on Icon that weren't on our last cruise (Harmony), except for the Empire Supper Club (which was still an upcharge with the UDP.).

But, to answer your direct question, it was easy to get reservations at the times we wanted.  We just stopped at Giovanni's right away when we boarded the ship and made them all there.

This is exactly what I was assuming based upon all of the YouTube videos!  We plan to book for 2026 when it becomes available.  We are probably only getting a 2 specialty dining package.

14 hours ago, VeronicaS1970 said:

We are planning to do laundry during the week so that we can fit all this stuff in the suitcase! 

Absolutely!  Our trip was 13 days, including the time in Seattle before and after.  We packed for 7 days, used the $30 laundry bag on Day 2 of our cruise and day 5 or our cruise.  Only needed to take one small rolling suitcase for each of us in my family of 4.  

On 3/19/2024 at 4:20 PM, DDaley said:

I also enjoyed having a pair of binoculars on our balcony! 

YES!!!

"What to pack" questions often fall into 2 (sometimes overlapping) categories: Universal necessity and Personal necessity.  More often than not, most items are technically personal in nature.

Universal Necessities to pack:

1. Toiletries.

2. Money.

3. ID.

4. Basic clothing.

Personal Necessities:

1. Clothing for hot and cold weather.  Lot's of people say "lots of layers."  This is general true, but for us, my family all run hot.  We never saw the need to wear anything more than a T-shirt, light long sleeved top, and a water resistant windbreaker with hoodie.  Most of the time, we were in shorts and T-shirt with a light sweatshirt or hoodie even in 38 degree weather.  Comfort is key.  If you are comfortable wearing a suit and tie, go for it.  If you want to wear 4 layers and a thick parka, go for it!  We dress down as much as possible.

2. Shoes. Again, what are you expecting to do in Alaska?  Obviously if you want to walk a lot or hike, or have an excursion that requires some good shoes, you need decent walking/hiking boots.  We took rain boots, never needed them, ended up giving them to our room steward.  We also opted to take nice sneakers to double as formal wear shoes.  These days, a suit and sneakers is pretty shiek.  

3. Universal adapters.  We took 2.  We needed one.  Unless you are a YouTuber or have a lot, a lot, a lot of electronics, we didn't see the need for more than one adapter.  In fact, we each had a smart phone and laptop or tablet and still only really needed one adapter.  Just rotate charging based upon priority.

4. Swim wear.  If on a Quantum class ship, swim wear is awesome.  The indoor pool and Solarium are awesome when you are passing snow capped mountains but swimming in a toasty pool or in a hot tub!

5. Magnetic wall hooks.  These can fall under the universal necessities in my opinion.  We pack light for every trip, but the magnetic wall hooks can be used for just about anything related to storage.  We often used them to wrap electrical cords when not in use, to hang hats and coats, and even used them to secure curtains shut for maximum darkness at night.

6. Binoculars.  Again, probably something that is a "necessity" for Alaska!  We spent tons of time using binoculars!  

7. Umbrella.  Buy the cheapest collapsible umbrella.  You may lose them.  They may break.  You may not want them afterwards.  We did not feel the need for umbrellas aside from 1 or 2 days.  It just depends.\

8. A ziplock bag in a few sizes.  We used them for anything from document (ID, passport) storage to keeping extra cookies from the various dining venues.  They pack small and can be very useful.  Not necessary, but useful.

Things you may not, or DO NOT need:

Big box fans. LOL

Weapons of any kind. LOL

Power strips.

Look, its 2024.  You are not traveling to some third-world back road place.  If you need something and did not pack it, you can always buy it somewhere.  And yes, you can find bargains even at tourist ports.  People say bring snacks.  I say, buy them as you need.  We ended up not really needing snacks because the ship had so much to offer.  Unless you have strict dietary restrictions, no real need to bring your own food.  

People say be prepared for anything.  I do not disagree.  Our experience though...if we needed something, truly needed something, it was available somewhere.

I know my advice may draw extreme criticism, but it is just one of many suggestions that offers a different perspective.  Enjoy!

On 2/20/2024 at 5:11 PM, barjpoe said:

It can also be asked for in the MDR for breakfast. I ask for it toasted.  There could also be sugar crystals on it.

I don't think sugar crystals.  I think that the slivered almonds on top were coated in powdered sugar.  But yes, there is a sweetness to the crust.

On 2/20/2024 at 2:08 PM, RCIfan1912 said:

That one I never saw before but sounds delicious. The windjammer is so chaotic though I never get a chance to check everything out. I'll look for it on Anthem next week. 

On our first RCCL cruise, we just happened to go to the least long line at the Windjammer, the dessert section, and the bread was there.  We tried it and it was so good, we went back for seconds.  That was the third day of our Alaskan cruise.  We ate it everyday for the remaining cruise and looked for it on our Mexican cruise.  It is cravable.  

16 hours ago, jbrinkm said:

Anyone have a picture so I can keep an eye out for it?

Kind of looks like this:

technically speaking, most big cruise ships can qualify as some form of city, municipality, state, etc. with the one issue of having a fixed geographical presence.

so...the next RCCL ship class and name should be Metropolis of the Seas.

then what you do is you offer the World Cruise experience to its customers granting them a one-year tenancy/residency, allow those who sail to earn money from social media and what not, tax them on that income, and viola! Pay off RCCL debts, and have a self-sufficient roving city on the seas.  That is the next evolution of cruising.

Frankly, I'd be surprised if there weren't any social media bloggers/vloggers for the World Cruise.  You pay $100,000 a person...it would make sense to upload some short videos and try to monetize them to make back some of that cost.  That's just me thinking out loud.

The byproduct of these tiktoks and youtube is that we get to see what the burn out rate, drama, and other things associated with an extended cruise is like.  I know that my wife and I are interested in the World Cruise, but hesitant about the burn out.

So....wife and I have only been on 2 RCCL cruises and both times had the Cranberry Raisin Almond Strietzel Bread at the Windjammer.  We absolutely fell in love (not with each other, with the bread!).  

We loved the bread so much that in our excitement to eat it, we never got the name of the bread and I have been searching ever since.  In fact, I posted here asking about it but I don't remember getting a positive ID.

Recently, I was watching a YouTube of the ICON Windjammer and spotted the bread! Paused it, wrote down the name, and searched for it.  Found a recipe and made it.  Even with my limited baking skills (although I am a former professional chef), the bread turned out pretty darn close!  I am sharing the recipe below in case anyone wants to try!

https://www.food.com/recipe/cranberry-raisin-almond-strietzel-bread-330178

Bon appetite and Bon Voyage!

How do I find repositioning cruises on the RCCL website?

With absolutely zero traffic and by car, taxi, uber, it can take 30 minutes. But that is unrealistic and will not happen.

We took a shuttle to Nordstrom's and then light rail to the airport.  Took us 90 minutes.  

Keep in mind that Alaskan cruises are always during baseball season and other sporting events.  Seattle has 2 or 3 stadiums next to each other and between the pier and Seatac.  If you are traveling during home games, good luck.

One off.  

$350 for a name correction?  Unlikely.  Even a legal name change here in the US doesn't cost that much.

On 9/2/2023 at 12:12 AM, Pattycruise said:

Im sure many people are wishing they purchased travel insurance and others are glad they did. 

I am curious about this.  If RCCL issued full refunds, FCC and $600.00 towards air, would the insurance companies reimburse?  Wouldn't this be a windfall or double payout?  In this scenario, I would like to know how the insurance works.  

4 hours ago, tonyfsu21 said:

I’m out and about at 5am vacation or not and this is actually my favorite 2 hours of the day before the chaos begins to erupt at 7am. It would be nice to see some earlier options (6:00am). If they could only manage to keep that auto coffee machine in the diamond lounge functioning, it would be a nice added touch. 

agreed. My favorite time of the day is between 5 and 7 am.  No one to bother you. Zen time.

I don't know much about make-up and stuff.  My wifey knows a ton.  She bought lots of name brand stuff and affirmatively stated that it was cheaper on board for those items that she did buy, especially because of the duty free.  She is an accountant and woman.  I defer to her knowledge.

drunken stupor is "limited once per cruise."

1 minute ago, OCSC Mike said:

Understood. I wouldn't mind if Park Cafe opened at 6am instead of 6:30 but I'm not up quite as early as you.

6:00 am opening is a really good middle-ground and I cannot imagine it being that much more costly to do so. 

Between 5am and 7am, the ships are typically very quiet other than the floor cleaning machines and vacuuming.  Getting to sit at Park Cafe at 6:00 am with a good cup of coffee, some eggs and whatever, and a good book or newspaper sounds delightful.  

You guys are all missing the true motive behind @JFCruise's experiment.  Its obvious he/she is trying to grab the attention of RCCL in order for RCCL to hire him/her as an analyst.  

Seriously though, the math was thought provoking and much appreciated.  Not gonna pretend that I understand it or will spend the time to understand it, but it looks fancy enough to convince me to go the non-refundable route.

4 minutes ago, HeWhoWaits said:

Cold stale pizza and warm stale beer - Sunday breakfast for many a college student.

I like to think that over the years, I have evolved since college years...

My wife begs to differ.