PRMLVM

thanks for the warning. we have linked reservations for a cruise in January; will definitely be one of the first things we will track down upon boarding now! ugh.

We would hand him a five for that, unless your large luggage set has a lot of pieces; then we'd add two or so, depending on the load.

had the same experience with wine. Was drinking a lot of gin and tonics and whiskey tonics and feeling normal. Had two glasses of wine the next night and whoa!

I still mostly stand by my statement that people wear the pins to indicate experience/openness to share that experience (why call attention to it if you don't want to talk to others?) BUT: I had an experience on Harmony just this week that made me think of this thread. A lady in the row ahead of me at a show struck up a conversation with those sitting next to her. By the second sentence, she said "Well, we are pinnacle which makes us the highest ranking passengers on the ship" (!!!). The conversation was about standing in line and she told her new friends, "Well, since I'm Pinnacle that means I'm the highest ranking passenger on the ship, so I just join any line and as soon as staff sees me they just pull me to the front." After she got her point across, she really was friendly and gave the other couple (first time cruisers) some very nice advice! So I guess she embodied the best and the worst of the pin-wearers as described in this thread! I saw her around the ship the rest of the week and my husband and I said, "There goes the highest ranking passenger on the ship!" Just a story too funny not to share.

So he showed up, and RC never changed his dining preference!! He got ping-ponged all over the dining room(s) to find the right person ("No, I can't help you; please go see XX" several times) and got it changed back to traditional. The staff member told him, "At this time, we only have shared seating available" - !! He just laughed and said "perfect". His sea pass showed the original My Time selection, so they gave him a paper card to show the new/renewed seating change. It's just frustrating that this is another example of calling in to them, being assured something has been done, and discovering the exact opposite when you show up! Fortunately it seems to have worked out!

@Adrianathe family got in to a cabin reserved in your name and under your financial arrangements and used your card, in your name, tied to your account? Better keep an eye on "your" room charges...even if RCI said they got that part straightened out!

We had My Time Dining reserved, and when we booked specialty dining nights the system alerted us to the "conflict" and we canceled the MDR MyTime dining. I know the question was about alerting the Traditional Dining staff, but just thought I'd add our experience (with My Time Dining reserved times).

For those who go "all out" (tuxes or suits for men, ball gowns for women): do you live close by and drive to your ports? Do you pack these items plus clothes for the other 4, 5, 6 days and fly to a port? How much luggage (and what kind - folding up a tux and gown in a standard rectangle case?) does that take? (asking in light of all the extra charges for luggage these days)

He was (after reading the attire requirement) going to take a tie, and skip the jacket (for easier packing). The original plan was a short-sleeved collared/pressed shirt, slacks, and dress shoes. He wears suits at home when the occasion calls for it but we reeeaaaallly did not want to pack a suit or even jacket if we could avoid. Thank you for your advice and experience.

Is wearing a tie required at the Chef's Table dinner? The description says Formal, and their site describes Formal as "suit and tie or tuxedo" for men. If hubby wears a pressed open-neck shirt, will he be turned away? Is tie (and jacket?!) REQUIRED?

Thank you everyone for the replies! He called to change to the Traditional seating, and chatted with the RCI person. He mentioned he was open to shared seating, and the RCI rep said he would make a note of it in the reservation. Here's hoping that's a thing!

There is both a Formal Night and a Dress Your Best Night on the same cruise. What is the difference? Is one suggesting more fancy clothes than the other?

oh dear. Luckily, he talks to people easily. Here's hoping friendly invitations are extended to him (I think he worries about annoying people)! Is there a way he should make it known to RC staff that he wouldn't mind group seating?

Are solo travelers seated with dining companions in the Main Dining Room? Does it make a difference if they are using Traditional or My Time? A friend is traveling solo soon and enjoys the MDR, but worries about eating alone nightly.

Can you tell me more about what you do/like about the thermal suite? We are sailing on Harmony soon, and considering it. What does a thermal suite pass "get" you, and what is "must do" there?

I was able to find the "reserve" button on both the online cruise planner and the app, and I see prices associated - thank you to all. I got confused by Izumi, which seems to be a special case onto itself, and unavailable to reserve for the ala carte option (from what I'm gathering here). Looks like the smallest package to purchase is 3 nights (or Chops +1), without the "security" of booking a specific night. So if we are only interested in two restaurants, and want to pin down the day/time, avoiding a package is what we want. And if one of those two is Izumi ala carte, we will just have to wait until boarding to reserve. Please correct me if I'm wrong! Again, thank you all for your help.

Oh yes! Those are the ships we will be on....I didn't know if the class of ship made any difference!

We aren't getting any kind of specialty dining package, but are interested in two of the restaurants (Harmony of the Seas for one trip; Brilliance for another). I thought I read that reservations can't be made until onboard, but our cruise planner has "dining products" that let us purchase a meal and reserve the time. Are all restaurants a flat fee? If we have to wait to make reservations after boarding, will we pay a set price or will it vary per entree, etc? I've become confused after reading the recent blog entry about Izumi's "special" prix-fixe option, when it's the only one in the dining products list and I can't even see an ala carte option. I came here to research and it seems that no specialty reservations can be made ahead of time (outside of these cruise planner options). Soooo...when can we reserve, and how are they priced? Thank you for any help!

I would probably put mine on the lanyard or carry-on, as has been suggested. Bathing suit (from an earlier post) no way! I think that the pins show you have experience and that you'd (probably) welcome conversations and questions (esp for newbies). I'm not comfortable with the phrase "earned it".....if others had more money and a more flexible job, we could "earn it" too. Just some tricky implications with that phrase. But, again, I don't default to assuming that's what people are trying to display. My thought is that they are kind of ambassadors who might be interested in telling stories, answering questions for the rest of us "earning" our way up!

Just read (and a google search confirmed) that it is illegal in Caribbean and some African countries to wear or even accessorize with the "camo" pattern (shorts, hats, bags....). Does anyone know of any other little-known illegal or tricky issues that could get a traveler in trouble??

Does that include chair hogs???

We are early birds and have not yet had trouble with crowds at Windjammer for breakfast (now that ships are at capacity, we shall see if that changes). Our kids are NOT early risers, and they did have trouble finding seating. I don't know why, but we never thought of going to the MDR for breakfast! We will be trying that on our next cruise. You mentioned being bored at sea days. We haven't take a cruise with many sea days before. Did they not have enough activities, were they not timed/spaced out well, or did you not leave your pool bed to try them? We are getting vacation money together in order to HAVE a longer trip and more days at sea, so I'm curious your thoughts there.

We aren't high up on the CAS level, but get suites when we can.... So the two lounges really have no difference for suite dwellers? The perks between ship classes may vary, but the perks between a suite lounge and a concierge lounge (for suite guests) does not; the name of the lounge is just different. Do you think all ships will change over and just start calling this lounge The Suite Lounge? The one difference that I don't "get" is why internet comes with some suites on some ships but not on others. I know that certain class ships have the sea/sky/star levels...but the same suite on one ship gets zoom but not on another. Being Loyal to Royal requires some studying!

Are there any differences between the Suite Lounge and the Concierge Lounge? Any different perks or hours or...? If no, the different names seems a little confusing. It's nice to know the continuity between the Schooner bars, the Boleros, the Playmakers (etc) from ship to ship; seems odd to muck that up with the two lounge names. Or are there actually differences between them?

Our kids didn't believe us, so now we actively pursue "chicken sightings" and make sure to take a picture. Definitely fewer sightings these days, but my daughter was thrilled to pose "with" one at the buffet! My son was NOT as fond of the sea gull who stole his food while he stepped away for 1/2 a second....