CruisingNewb

Getting up at 3:30am doesn't mean I'm up and about quite yet. I don't get out of the house until at least 5am. And no...pizza at 5am does not sound appealing lol. Maybe a bagel bar?

The last couple of comments are really interesting. I wake up at 3:30 am every morning regardless of what time I go to sleep. By the time I am out of the shower and ready to roam the ship, the only available options are those mentioned above: limited pastries, perhaps fruit cups... Although I am not a breakfast person, when on vacation, I can appreciate a yummy breakfast to get me going. I'm not saying I need Prime Rib with all the fixins at 5am, but if there were more variety of options between 5 and 7am, I certainly wouldn't mind! ...moments later... Ooh! I just had a great idea! While we were vacationing in Japan this summer, we were overwhelmed at the sheer number of vending machines available pretty much any/everywhere. Some of these vending machines had hot food that was surprisingly good. RCCL could look into that as an option!

With many consumer experiences in both goods and services, there are always those possibilities of the "one-off" good/bad experience(s). My first Samsung fridge was horrible in every way. Then I was gifted a Samsung fridge years later and have since bought 3 more. I have had similar experiences with restaurants, etc. Unfortunately, things are different with cruises. Yeah, there will always be outliers, but for many people, a cruise is a big deal financially and time-wise. Many people cannot get the time off for a cruise or have to budget for months on end to afford a cruise. So...the one bad experience can really leave a bad enough taste in one's mouth to avoid that cruise line. @Marmaduke sorry about your poor experience with Princess. Never been, but have always been somewhat wary. We are batting 2 for 3 on Carnival and 2 for 2 on RCCL. After RCCL, I will probably never go back to Carnival, but for no other reason than my shallow, pretentious, and likely false-sense that RCCL is just classier. I just wish RCCL had an itinerary that met with our wish list for a European cruise; alas, it does not.

Let me clarify, this was poorly worded... We are looking for a European cruise that does more than 3 countries. And yes, we have a TA looking into this but I was hoping to draw from experienced RCCL cruisers.

I feel dirty for asking this because its based upon a NCL itinerary, but.... Does RCCL ever have European itineraries that span from Northern Europe to London? Specifically Denmark, Germany, Spain, France, and London? It seems as though most of the cruises I look up are limited to 2 to 3 countries. Don't feel like cruising a different cruise line now that I'm smitten by RCCL, but just may have to.

I am curious what kind of food people are looking for late at night. Personally, we are good with Sorrentos and what ever small pastry and fruit offerings are available in the Solarium cafe. One thing that we did on the Navigator and Ovation was to make sandwiches at the Windjammer and bring them back to the room to eat later. More often than not, we realized we didn't need to eat after 10pm anyways.

Watch Matt's YouTube videos. More importantly, watch the ones that have to do with "what not to do" or "dumb mistakes". Honestly, the most important things to be prepared for is getting on board and getting off of the ship when its over. My opinion is that you should navigate (pun intended) the cruise with a level of greeness and experience things (good and bad) for yourself. OUr first cruise, we didn't research anything because information was much more scarce back in the day. We had ups and downs but loved our first cruise nonetheless.

End of Story. Happy Ending!

order room service on the first day. leave empty plates but hide the plate covers. Take plate covers to windjammer and bring back stacks of food. easy peasy.

Wait. I don't get it. The 2 year old will be in the room sleeping right? You will be on the balcony with the door shut right? You will presumably be facing the ocean right? Did you not develop the inevitable "eyes in the back of your head" yet? I got mine when my first child turned 6 months old. My wife got hers immediately after first child was born.

Might be my poor eyesight or reading skills, but I haven't seen mention of delays due to sporting events. Our last 3 trips to Seattle, we experienced severe light rail and automobile delays due to a Mariners' home game and/or Sounders FC game. When we were on our Alaska cruise last year, it took an hour and 25 minutes via lightrail because both T-Mobile Park and Lumens Field had games going on.

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2022/03/01/whats-included-your-royal-caribbean-cruise-fare

$5 per complaint sent by e-mail. $5 per complaint made in person onboard. $5 per minute for those parties of 10 or more wanting to take 2 dozen pictures on the grand staircase. $5 per item confiscated during boarding including, but not limited to, hair dryers, extension cords, huge box fans. $5 per minute for pool chair claim while the person is not at the pool. $5 per minute for anyone boarding late during port stays.

How much difference in revenue can charging for pizza make? I really believe that charging for pizza at Sorrentos is on the level of nickel and diming. I totally understand that RCCL can make a few bucks on charging for Sorrentos, IF it wasn;t already a free staple of the cruises. Because it is an included venue in the cruise price, changing it to pay-to-eat will likely leave a bitter taste in existing repeat cruisers' mouths. It may even lead to a decision to either revert to free or get rid of the amenity altogether. Look at it this way, there are usually 3 or 4 people working Sorrentos late night. If charging for pizza leads to even 30% decrease in foot traffic, the labor and overhead will eat up profit unless they are charging some obscene amount. My suggestion is to get rid of the antipasti stuff at Sorrentos and offer only pizza. Personally, I like having some antipasti from Sorrentos, but I have experienced that most people only get slices of pizza. Cut the food cost from the salad bar and don't charge for pizza. Lastly, my personal opinion of Sorrentos is that when you are drunk, or if you are a kid, Sorrentos pizza is pretty darn tasty. No need to compare to Naples or New York. I think NY pizza is the best. I also love me some traditional Naples pizza. Doesn't mean I am not going to enjoy free Sorentos.

The "proper etiquette" in ordering food in the MDR is the same for proper etiquette everywhere. You order what you want, how many you want, let them know dietary restrictions, ask for half-sized or smaller portions, whatever. The most important thing is to ask politely and be kind and receptive to answers that you may not like. Just don't act entitled. Lot's of people say, "its your vacation, do as you please..." Nope. Its your vacation along with thousands of others' vacation. Enjoying one's own vacation does not come at the expense of another. Don't worry if you can't finish all of your food. First time cruisers make mistakes just the same as experienced cruisers.

1. Whatever the wife says, you simply nod and acknowledge. Doesn't mean its true, but that is the single most important rule that mankind has never mastered. 2. My entire family loves Jamie's. We have always liked Jamie Oliver as a chef, but were skeptical of Jamie's Italian because the dude is British. Well, whether its "authentic," that is not for me to judge because I am not Italian. Is the food well-prepared? Yes. Are the portions decent (not too big, not too small)? Yes. Is the restaurant clean with friendly service? Yes. Its like this....We like Sorrentos pizza a lot. Is it New York pizza? Hell no. Is it Italian pizza? Hell no. Is it tasty? Yes! 3. Why would a Giovanni or Chops waiter care whether you prefer Jamie's or Chops, or Giovanni's? They all work for RCCL. Joke or no joke, why does this even matter? BUT--see number 1...wife is always right. 4. Yep, food is subjective. When we travel, we watch a lot of YouTube videos and read a lot of reviews of places we want to eat in the particular place we are travelling. It's 50-50. Everyone is out to make a dollar, everyone has something to say. We have eaten at places with rave reviews that were simply lackluster. 5. I am saddened to hear about menu changes, especially at Jamie's. I quite liked the garlicky prawns and the burger. 6. Jamie's Pavlova is really, really, really yummy. Visually stunning. Simple. Elegant. Tasty!

The Channel features short interviews/introductions/information by the Entertainment Director or some entertainment staff member. You may see some behind the scenes rehearsal clips of some of the shows. If you have been to Vegas, it is like the Hotel/Casino's channel featuring clips of the property and ammenities.

I was at the Department of Motor Vehicles last week. I was surprised at the large number of older people there. This is not meant to be a jab at older folk and by "older" I mean 75 years old and older, give or take a few years. Reason I mentioned this as a reply to the Photos post is because a lot of older people were struggling with the online application process at the DMV. Alot did not seem to use smart phones or want to use a computer. Then again, I am friends with an 83 year old who thrives on social media. I see how my parents struggle, or sometimes don't even want to bother with, technology. Heck...I'm not even middle-aged and I struggle sometimes. In fact, I am still in the "paper Compass please" group. Point is, there are some things that might require a slower gradual phase out such as the Photo deal. I know that my parents want prints. I imagine that my personal experience could be an outlier, but I am sure that a company like RCCL takes these kinds of things into consideration.

Well then, I guess I will have to invite you to our next cruise lol

You can get an "average" by taking all of the responses given, and dividing that number by the number of people providing responses.

Honestly, the under 16 kids are not as much of a problem for me than the over 16 and under 25 year olds. They monopolize the jacuzzi and are making out and doing all sorts of PDA. Grosses me out. Ugh...when did I become my parents?

I heard the opposite. But if it works, then use the exploitation for entrees and order a steak for yourself, any other entree you want disguised as your kids' choice(s), and then take the kids to Sorrentos afterwards. My kids just want the desserts and pizza anyways.

In fact, make your kids order adult menu items, and whatever they do not eat, you eat. Here is how I exploited my kids: I wanted the cheese plate appetizer at the MDR, kids didn't want any appetizer. I made them order beef carpaccio and escargot. Boom, I got 3 appetizers at once.

Are kids required to eat off the kids menu? NOPE.

Well...that is debatable and why I emphasize cleanliness at home. I have many adult friends who are parents and believe me I have seen unmentionable things when it comes to cleanliness or the lack thereof.