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Aron_Ross

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Posts posted by Aron_Ross

  1. Hello all,

    I posted this in a previously sailed roll call and realized it may not get read, so I figured I’d start a new one.

    I am very close to booking an 8 night round trip Vancouver to Alaska on Radiance for May 2023.  I was wondering if anyone has sailed that itinerary and what the weather, ship and excursions were like?  What were the pros and cons overall?  I watched a walk-through of Radiance on YouTube, and was quite impressed by how nice it is for a 20+ year old ship.  I toyed with idea of sailing southbound flying to Anchorage, but the flights are too pricey and there is only one direct flight a day to Los Angeles.  

  2. 2 hours ago, ScooterScott22 said:

    @Aron_Ross I don’t think you shared if you had previously tried any of the venues on other ships but you did mention that you have not tried Wonderland.  Wonderland is usually pretty decent (3 different ships) from our view, but you typically have to be a little open to new experiences.  

    Hi, so far we only sailed 4 days on Freedom of the Seas and had lunch at Giovanni's Kitchen.  We loved it!  We toyed with the idea in checking out Playmakers, but figured we can wait for Harmony...and then post cruise I learned it's not on Harmony😥  I definitely have more of an open mind when it comes to food.  I will try anything as long as it's not organs or bugs.  

    Speaking of Giovanni's, can anyone tell me the difference between Giovanni's Table and Giovanni's Kitchen?

  3. Some of you may have seen Matt's recent YouTube video on the various perks for the different levels of Crown and Anchor status.  This was such an informative video and makes me want to sail with Royal a lot more!  I do have some questions since I was not able to find the answer on Royal's site...

    With the exception of Pinnacle, I learned members of the same household will automatically inherit the one with the highest status when sailing together.  Does that also apply to couples who are not legally married but live in the same household? 

    Some of the additional Gold benefits Matt mentioned were:  25% off any coffee beverage, 10% off wine beer or soda by the glass, buy bingo package get a free jackpot card, 10% off Royal Caribbean logo products.  Are those offered to each individual in the same stateroom, or just to one person?

  4. 2 hours ago, Swar said:

    We are not Wonderland friendly. Going to be forced into it On Harmony, in October, because DIL is into "eclectic" dining. Too fru fru for us, but some people love it.

    Ha ha!  My wife is not really interested in Wonderland, but I would like us to try it once.  We have seen a few videos on YouTube and she is not impressed.  I am the more adventurous eater.  I would LOVE to do the Chef's Table but that would certainly be a waste of money for her.  She said I should do it without her.  I don't think I can fit it in with our 3 night pkg, Jaime's lunch and all the other free food.  Next cruise perhaps.

  5. 2 hours ago, michaelp1446 said:

    Keep original plan and try Izumi Hibachi for lunch on a sea day.

    I didn’t know Izumi had lunch on sea days. I thought it was sushi only.  I would assume the menu is a little bit different?  I noticed Jamie‘s only excluded two items for lunch, the beef short rib and lamb chops, so the lunch seemed like a good deal for the price.

  6. Thank you all for your input much appreciated! One of the reasons Izumi may not appeal to us is that we live in Los Angeles, where there is a ton of great Asian food. Let me also add that we paid for lunch at Jamie‘s Italian. We considered the dining package, but we do like the main dining room and The Windjammer, so it didn’t seem worth it.  It’s an eight night cruise to the southern Caribbean and I’m hoping there will be a lobster night.  

    By the way, still dreaming about the unlimited lamb shanks on Freedom in the WJ!!

  7. I know there are many of you who love this restaurant.  Aside from the entertainment, what is it you like about Izumi Hibachi?  Is the food really that good?  I'd love to know.

    We purchased the 3 night dining package for our Nov 12th Harmony cruise, and still not sold on this venue.  So far we plan on using it for: Chops, Wonderland and 150 Central Park.  Keep in mind my wife and I have never been to any of these.  This will be our 2nd Royal cruise, the first was on Freedom where we dined at Giovanni's and LOVED IT!   

  8.  

    11 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

    Only because Indy has Grease and my kids love the shows. The shows on Freedom were not Broadway ones and just mediocre at best. For Hubby and I, I would give the edge to Freedom because of the same reasons the @AshleyDillojust mentioned. We love El Loco and we've discovered that we really like the new Giovanni's Kitchen as well. We ate there 3 out of our 4 nights a few weeks ago.

    Wow I did not know Independence has Grease.  Unfortunately El Loco Fresh was our least favorite on Freedom.  We live in Los Angeles where there is an abundance of Mexican food so that's probably why, ha ha!  Giovanni's was excellent!  It was the only specialty dining we did and a filet in the MDR from Chops, which I thought was quite tasty.  Looking forward to Chops on our Harmony sailing.  I know there are a lot of mixed reviews, but have to try it at least once.  I wish the MDR would offer the Ribeye.  Loved the waffles, lamb shanks and Indian food at The Windjammer!  

    11 hours ago, twangster said:

    Parking is a lot cheaper in Port Canaveral if driving.

    I got a cheap car rental so we figured it was better than taking an Uber/Lyft everywhere, but I still spent a lot on parking in the downtown area.  Bayfront Park was ridiculous!  Stayed at an Airbnb in Coral Gables.  Parking there and in Little Havana was easier and way less expensive.  I got addicted to the Cuban Espresso at Versailles.

    10 hours ago, Dad2Cue said:

    We got a junior suite on the pool deck at the front of the ship. 

    NICE!!

    1 hour ago, Ampurp85 said:

    And I actually loathe Grease. 

    HAAA HAAA!!

  9. Hello All, 

    Sailed on Royal for the first time in May on Freedom, 4 day Coco Cay/Nassau.  We figured it was a good way to get our feet wet before we sail Harmony this Nov for 8 days, plus we had never been to Miami.  92 days before sailing..DAMN is it Nov yet?

    Anyway, I have been watching youtubers post their recent Independence sailings, which also looks like a fun ship. I know they are sister ships and both amplified, but was wondering which ship do most people prefer and why? 

    Let me also ask, if anyone has sailed all the Freedom class ships, which is your favorite?
     

     

     

     

  10. @RockerDom31 Wow it's funny how I was looking at Cruisemapper to see where Oasis is today and noticed the 9 day itinerary currently happening.  Wow, this sounds like one hell of a cruise!  I'm kind of jealous.  I just love how it ends with 3 sea days in a row.  I noticed you didn't arrive in Puerto Rico until 2pm.  Were you able to enjoy it despite the late arrival?  Looking forward to my 8 day on Harmony this coming November to the southern Caribbean.  The June 2023 cruise sounds interesting.  

    Enjoy the rest of your sailing!    

  11. So is the all day pass worth the extra $9 a person?  That's what my sailing is charging.  Keep in mind we plan on staying at the beach all day and not doing any excursions.

    We have the coaster booked for 9:30am and want to reserve a floating Mat.  When I go on the Royal app it only gives me the option to pick up the mat at 8:30am.  Do we have to stick to that time or can we pick up the mat 1 to 2 hours later?

  12. 4 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

    I definitely want to sail Navigator. I've had 3 cancelled sailings on that ship over covid and now it moved out west (harder for me to fly to). But one of these days....

    Well, next June for the RoyalCaribbeanblog cruise might be the way to go.  As I stated earlier we are seriously considering it.  Unfortunately the prices for that cruise are way expensive.  I haven't inquired yet, but I plan on getting in touch with MEI to see what the group rate is.  Otherwise if you book through Royal the interior rooms start at $830 and that is ridiculous!  

  13. 4 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

    What can I say? YOLO Book another cruise? You are from the West Coast, I think Navigator has a Playmakers 😉

    Oh yes. For sure Navigator is on our radar, even if it's for a cheap 3 day cruise.  One reason to do that 3 day is for a seafood stand at a flea market in Ensenada Mexico.  If you like seafood, they sell these giant clams grilled in their shell topped with shrimp, cheese and pico de gallo.  Had that when we took a 3 day Carnival back in 2015 and I STILL dream about those clams.  Both the shrimp and clams were amazingly fresh.  Easily, top 5 most delicious things I've ever eaten in my life!

  14. 1 hour ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

    Thank you!

    For sure. I have been of the mindset (for quite long time now) that Voyager and Freedom class ships (especially the amped ones) are a great starting point for first time cruisers. While my heart always belongs to Oasis class, it can be overwhelming for a first time cruiser. You will love Harmony!

    haha! I told Hubby I would be perfectly content to not leave the ship. We did get off at Coco Cay though, just long enough grab a Snack Shack Chicken Sandwich and a Funnel Cake. 😋

    We have sailed a few times with Carnival and Princess on our side, the Los Angeles side. In 2017 we did a Caribbean cruise for the first time out of New Orleans with Carnival, and the Caribbean was a total game changer.  We fell in love with it.  Yes the Mexican Riviera is beautiful, but we feel it does not compare to the Caribbean.

    With all that said, I was pushing to try something new and heard so much about Royal Caribbean it was time to give it a try.  My other half loves Carnival and she is always getting on me about being Mr. fancy in wanting to try Royal and Celebrity.  On this Freedom sailing, I learned about being a diamond plus member from a fellow passenger.  Receiving four or five drinks a day when you reach that level sounds like a huge incentive to me, especially since there is no way we can do an unlimited drinks package.  

    Glad you got off on Coco Cay it’s such a great destination, even if you’ve been there several times. That was our first time and I’m sure it will never get old. I’m not a big funnel cake person but the one there was delicious!  Giovanni’s was the only specialty dining we did and it was SO GOOD!  I regret not going to Playmaker’s since it will not be on Harmony.  I wish I had known that while we were on Freedom. It was our first time in Nassau so naturally we had to get off, but I can see why people stay on the ship.  We did have fun with the locals though.

    Next year we are together 10 years.  We can’t decide on either celebrating on Matt’s group cruise out of our city, which would be convenient and loads of fun, or Alaska.  I’m sure most would say Alaska. It does look and sound spectacular!

    Well let me stop here because I can go on forever about cruising. I guess that’s why we are all here right? 
     

  15. Ha ha!  I'm laughing because this is a huge difference from the spacious balcony I had on Freedom.  Congrats on your 20/20!!

    Freedom 5 day sailing was my first time with Royal back in May of this year, and my 2nd will be this November on Harmony.  It was a good intro to Royal Caribbean and can only imagine what my next experience is going to be like.  Not only am I excited about the ship, but the 8 day Labadee, Aruba, Curacao itinerary with 4 days at sea!  My girlfriend and I LOVE our sea days!  Plus this will be our first time at those ports.  101 days to go!!  

    Did you two leave the ship?  Probably not, I know I wouldn't.

  16. I had a version of this once at an Anchor Bar chain in Orange CA, which I heard does not compare to the original location in Buffalo.  I will say the wings (and I've had plenty of wings growing up in NYC) were FANTASTIC!!  The sandwich was ok and barely had any caraway seeds on it. 

    I'm sad to hear the ones on Royal have gone downhill.  I hope people have mentioned this in their post cruise surveys?  Anyway,  I plan to give it a try on Harmony this Nov and I'm sure my other half won't bother since she doesn't like caraway seeds.  She grew up in SoCal, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.. ha ha!

  17. On 6/23/2022 at 12:17 PM, brdjnr said:

    We are going on Harmony in August, and we will be eating at chops and Izumi.

    Ooooh, please let us know how those are on Harmony.  I will be on that ship Nov 12th.  I must try Chops at least once despite more unfavorable reviews.  Had the filet on Freedom in the MDR and it was surprisingly good, so good my girlfriend and I ordered it again on our 3rd night.  I love a good Ribeye, so I'm hoping that will be even better.  As for Izumi, I know many people love it, but I'm just not sold on it yet.  We have our eyes on Chops, 150 Central Park, Wonderland and Jaime's.  

    I think someone mentioned the burger at Chops in an earlier comment.  So that brings me to my question...

    Burger at Chops lunch vs. Burger at Jaime's?  Which do you prefer?  Thoughts anyone?

     

     

  18. 23 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said:

    Specialty coffees are all espresso based. Not sure what you think of when you're thinking about specialty coffees. Think lattes, cappuccinos, espressos and frappes.

       I guess I am referring to a fresh ground coffee that is not espresso based.  Or do they not have those?  I am not a big cappuccino, frappe person.  I just like a nice cup of fresh ground coffee with maybe an added espresso shot.  Perhaps this card is not for me then?

    And thanks for answering my other questions...much appreciated!

  19. Questions about this coffee card:

    Can I get coffee for the person I am traveling with?

    I would assume if one were a complete coffee addict, they can use up all 15 in one day?

    The planner says that it entitles you to 15 espresso based coffees, so does that mean a regular specialty coffee is not included? It has to be espresso based?

    It also says, "or enjoy your favorite cup of joe anytime you'd like and save up to 50% on individually purchased coffees."  What does that mean?  Once you go through your 15 you can purchase more coffee for 50% percent off?

     

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