Scott_gunerman

1 hour ago, JC Pats said:

Validating your Vax card can take a few days to a few weeks. I wouldn't worry at all about it as uploading it now, saves time at the port. And yes, you need to bring your ORIGINAL Vax cards with you for the cruise, regardless of if it's validated prior to the cruise or not. The check in agent may want to verify what you brought matches what you uploaded. 

Thank you so much!

Thank you so much!

1st time with Royal, Oasis of the Seas July 22 -29.  I am working on the check in, just uploaded my vaccination card and it says “validating your record.”  Anyone know how long this takes?  Also, do we need to bring the actual cards to the port for check in?  Might be a good idea to have this as backup if this validation doe not complete itself for some reason.  Let me know if you have any experience with this, thanks!

Thanks for the feedback!

Cabanas are long gone so that’s not an option either and that would be 1499 compared to just under 1000.  Oh well, still plenty of time to decide.  I don’t like the idea of 2 ships in port @ once, so chances are good I’ll bite the bullet on this one and try the beach club.  Thanks for the reply!

On 5/18/2022 at 7:34 PM, michaelp1446 said:

Ate at Solarium Bistro on Odyssey for dinner in March. Made Dinner reservation in cruise Planner. Food very good-mediterranean themed.

Breakfast was never crowded. Keep in mind that the Dinner menu does not change daily. I would recommend trying 1 or 2 nights.

Menu posted above is same as we had.

Great tip, thanks!

Omelette station for breakfast i think i read somewhere?

14 hours ago, PPPJJ-GCVAB said:

On Oasis there really is no bad place for breakfast…just depends on what you are looking for.  Now…I have only sailed on Oasis once so this is my opinion only!  The MDR has your typical restaurant-style offerings and best part is the waiter attention.  It is less busy so wait staff is pretty easy to find when needed.  We ate in the MDR on debarkation day so we could enjoy the relaxed atmosphere one last time before heading home.  The MDR is not a quick eat and run type of restaurant so if you are in a hurry…go somewhere else.
My favorite is the Solarium Bistro because it is less crowded than WJ and although there may be less to choose from…believe me there is plenty!  It feels like a more gourmet sort of food is offered.  You can eat quickly or take your time and enjoy the scenery.
The WJ has so many food choices and sometimes (depending on timing) quite crowded and noisy.  It is very large and you should know there are 2 areas of the same selections on each end.  A few of my pet peeves about the WJ:  I hate it when I finally get to the section with the food I really want and the pan is almost empty!  It happens!  I will say that I did find they try very hard to keep up with refilling but I did have to wait for a few things.  Another thing is when you are in a long line and the people in front of you just take their sweet time looking over everything and hold up the line.  Even worse is when one person is in front of you and next thing you know there are 4 or 5 people joining them…just cutting in!   All this happened to me which is reason I only ate there once!
So there is also the Park Cafe which I did not check out for breakfast and of course Cafe Promenade.  But I believe both of these are quick bite sort of places.  Johnny Rockets also has a breakfast but that is not for me.

Sorry I rambled…hope you first experience on Oasis will be the best!!!

Great info, thanks!!!

1st cruise with Royal this july.  Cocoa Beach Club is 249 per person [family of 4]…sounds like 2 ships in port.  Is there any value at 249 each?  The 15 yr old is going to be bored to death from what i can see on the YouTube videos [i guess he can come & go] but it does look nice.  249 is steep [many videos advertise 69 or 89 per person] but with 10,000 people on the island i think some exclusivity might be worth the splurge.  Any opinions / comments would be fantastic.  Thank you! 

5 hours ago, PPPJJ-GCVAB said:

The entire Solarium area is beautiful on the Oasis.  We ate lunch there a few times while on our cruise in November.  We also had breakfast there.  Both are buffet style and much nicer (IMO) and less crowded than the Windjammer.   We decided against dinner since the offerings weren't spectacular and we enjoy the MDR ambiance for our dinner experience.  

Good to know, thank you for the information!  On Oasis, what’s your favorite place for breakfast?  This is my 1st time with Royal and I’m trying to learn as much as i can-

20 hours ago, twangster said:

You don’t have to look very far on the internet to see guests experiencing IT related issues on Royal. Email is part of IT.  I wouldn’t try to analyze why or what you may have or don’t have as root cause.  It’s Royal.  

Really hope this cruise goes well, i do like the idea of their loyalty program and once I relocate to Florida this would be a lot of fun to rack up the points and increase status to get the good perks!

12 hours ago, FManke said:

Also, I think dining in the MDR is a good way to start your cruise, especially your first one. Make sure to do the 2nd formal night in the MDR usually night 6 on a 7 night or more cruise. Also known as lobster night. They're not the biggest or best lobster tails you will ever have, but they are all you care to eat!

Oh yea…you are speaking my language.  Thanks for the tip on a second formal night!

We are on Oasis!  Should have mentioned that…i do not think Wonderland is on Oasis but i have heard about it; definitely looks fun!

25 minutes ago, ChanaC said:

I haven't sailed on a ship with the Solarium Bistro yet, but I am in two weeks so I've been researching it. Unless anything changes, I believe all Solarium Bistros serve general buffet stuff or breakfast and lunch, although maybe healthier options than the Windjammer. For dinner, they do a hybrid buffet/sit down service, all Mediterranean themed. You order a main entree at your table with a waiter, like chicken, salmon, or lamb, and on the buffet they have small plated appetizers and side dishes like hummus, tabbouleh, pita, various salads, etc. The pros are that it's included, it's somewhat lighter and healthier options, and (in my opinion) Mediterranean food is delicious! Cons are (at least on my ship - I can see the menu ahead of time) is that each night is the same menu, although that might also be a pro if there are multiple things you want to try.

Good to know!  As of now we have the bistro reserved for night 1…if its great we will look to add more nights.  I guess we wont know until we check it out!

Great call on formal night being night 2 in MDR!  Don’t want to do 2 specialty in a row, trying to space those out.  Day1 / Night 1 everything will be so overwhelming as this is cruise #1 with Royal so i am guessing specialty is better on night 2 so we have our bearings a little.  What are your thoughts on the hibachi restaurant being available through the 3 night dining pkg?  Matt really promotes this as “cant miss” so we are really rolling the dice that this will still be available once we get on board and can make the reservations.  Looking forward to Chops and Giovanni’s.  If hibachi is no go, I guess Central Park 150 would be nice but kids might not love it [age 18 and 16].  In any event, cant wait!

41 minutes ago, AlohaLivin said:

Ah, that was what I remembered, your post said “she” referring to the TA that you found so I was making sure it was the book that I remembered Being a long-time GS resident, I’m to the point I’ve been to WDW enough that I am okay not go go back again but glad to know that they offer guides for other cities. 

Yea, she was listed as a recommended TA along with others.  I recall contacting a few of them to help plan my 1st ever trip to WDW and she replied first so I gave her a chance and she’s been a legend ever since.  What is a GS resident??? 

18 minutes ago, AlohaLivin said:

I remember that book - I thought that a guy wrote it (I remember it was written with humor). Or did my memory fizzle during the last decade?! Def possible!  So wonderful that you found such a good TA !

It’s the greatest resource for anyone interested in the Walt Disney World Resort!  One of the co-authors is Len Testa, who was on the WDW Today podcast with Matt [and a few other guys] many years ago.  The Unofficial Guide also publishes books for Disney Cruise Line, Washington DC, Las Vegas and probably other places too.  If you’re ever going to a destination they cover, its must reading.  Absolutely the best non-biased coverage you can find [my opinion].  Thanks for the reply!

Recently watched Matt’s epic 1hr review of Oasis and i was instantly drawn to the Solarium area as a potential “home base” for the cruise.  I see that the Solarium Bistro requires dinner reservations when I look under Dining in the cruise planner section.  Looking for information - is it better than the main dining room?  Any advantages eating dinner here?  This is my 1st try on Royal [6x Disney Cruiser though] and I hear all kinds of reviews on the MDR - some good, some bad and some ugly.  Also have a 3 night dining pkg so 4 nights are open to try things out.  We will try the MDR during the cruise at some point but i am intrigued about this restaurant.  Please let me know any thoughts and you have and past experiences!!! 

Bought a 3 night dining pkg, chose night 2 for the first specialty restaurant.  Suggestions for night one - main dining room?  Solarium Bistro [which apparently you need to reserve]?  Something else?  Let me know your thoughts, I know you have some.  TIA!!!

On 5/9/2022 at 11:03 AM, BigMac3001 said:

Our first cruise is next month (Woot!), and we are getting cruise specific emails even though I used a TA. They absolutely try to sell me stuff more than inform me, but I'm getting both. 

Lucky you!  Have a great cruise!!!

On 5/9/2022 at 7:56 AM, smokeybandit said:

What email address is linked to your reservation? Is that even correct? I know I've had agents fat finger my email before.

It’s correct.  I get emails daily from Royal trying to sell me more cruises!

On 5/9/2022 at 7:36 AM, ChessE4 said:

Artifact of not having Crown and Anchor account yet?

It’s my 1st cruise so i guess I don’t? 

On 5/9/2022 at 12:05 AM, 10-42 said:

I've fount that Royal basically divorces itself from you when you have a TA.  The only emails I get from them and I cruise next week, is about health precautions and such.  Your TA is supposed to be your single point of contact for your cruise.  Your TA should be CALLING Royal for information and passing it on to you.  Not you calling Royal.  It's their job.  I can't even call Royal and get them to send me an up to day invoice.  But, my TA can get it in minutes.  

Suggestion, get on-line and do a mock reservation on the cruise you are supposed to be on.  See for yourself. If it has changed, I'd be very upset with my TA for #1 not knowing about it and #2 not providing you with current information.  

I get and have been getting emailing from my TA almost weekly. The more I hear about other people's TA, the more I'm getting satisfied with my TA, whom I haven't really liked until now.  

I'm not asking who your TA is.  But, I'd like to know what kind of TA it is.  Is it a local TA or a nationally known TA that deals primarily with cruises via the internet or phone?  I know that my local TA down the street knows a lot about booking hotel rooms, airline tickets, some tours, maybe some all inclusives, etc.  But, they are very limited in knowledge and experience when dealing with the specifics of cruise booking and maintaining a cruise booking.  There are obvious exceptions.  By far the worst TA office I've been in is our local AAA TA and insurance office.  They were clueless.  The other Ma/Pa TA down the street wasn't much better.

I have not called Royal once and my TA is an absolute rock star that I trust with every possible situation.  I found her over 10 years ago in The Unofficial Guide To Walt Disney World where she was recognized as one of the top TA’s in the country!  

My 1st cruise with Royal is July 22 on Oasis.  I am not receiving any emails from Royal that are specific to my cruise.  I am getting the emails from the marketing server that want me to book more cruises so I know they have my contact information!  I found out through a Facebook group that my itinerary has had changes in port arrivals/departures. Now I am concerned about other news and information that is pertinent to my cruise that I will not receive.  I have emailed Royal and have not gotten a reply [boo]. I have told my travel agent about this and she has emailed her inside contact and has not gotten a reply.  This is frustrating because I literally don’t know what I don’t know. What deadlines are coming that I don’t know about?  Final payment was about 2 weeks ago, nothing from Royal as a courtesy reminder - thankfully my TA is on her game and let me know. I’m trying my best to be fully engaged with Royal and make a permanent change from the D cruise line but this is not a good start.  Anyone else go through this?  Any advice?  I do not have the time to go through every message board and facebook group to piecemeal the important details that i need.  Send help!  S.O.S!

I was on the official website for royal and looking in my cruise information [july 22-29] and did not see any information regarding the casino. Anyone know where I can find information about the casino on Oasis?  Specifically I am wondering if they have “bubble craps” - this is an automated version of the table game.  If not, do they have craps tables?  Any information or details on where else I can look would be great. Thanks in advance for the help