I_Love_RCI

I assume it is only pulling relatively recent data since they created the system in the app and how they've labeled certain itineraries. Otherwise, there are plenty of people that would have all or nearly all the destination badges already completed. 

As someone pointed out earlier, its a marketing tool to get people who feel compelled to fill them out to book more cruises...   Not that my spouse needs another reason 

24 different ships

Monarch, Legend, Grandeur (x2), Rhapsody, Enchantment, Radiance, Brilliance (x3), Jewel (x2), Explorer (x3), Adventure (x2), Navigator, Freedom (x2), Liberty, Independence (x3), Oasis (x7), Allure (x7), Harmony (x3), Symphony (x5), Wonder, Quantum, Anthem (x3), Ovation, Spectrum (x2), Icon (x2)

Utopia and Star upcoming... 

It's in the Aquadome, starboard side. One of the easiest places to get a coffee, or a drink, as it was never busy on our sailings. 

12 hours ago, Pattycruise said:

I was on your sailing, in fact the very first passenger to board! Icon is a beast.  The elevators were awesome, quite an adjustment. About 30 seconds before the busy times came, then it was closer to 3 minutes or so.  At one point an elevator arrived that was packed with no room to board.  A few times the elevators were getting too full to be able to board them. 
the food options were great. The park cafe being open 24 hours with great food and dessert options was a bonus as opposed to being stuck with Sorrentos and crap finger sandwiches.

 They definitely need a third specialty coffee location.  I keep asking if there were more and crew kept telling me Starbucks/not what I was trying to convey!

i had the sliding doors close on me when leaving the music hall  to the restroom and I also had an elevator door close on me.   the husband observed a woman get stuck in between the sliding doors from the music hall to the casino —stuck stuck, not just closed on her and then reopened like what happened to me, 

lots of complaints about the chair hogs, thankfully I had pinnacle access at the suite area/which is absolutely gorgeous and the lite bites they served up there were fantastic, 

empire super club was quite an experience.  Loved it, though not sure I’d do it again.

 They called all luggage tags by about 8:30-quite surprising given the numbers of people on the sailing.  

 

 

Are you including Rye & Bean in that number? They can also make specialty coffees that don't include alcohol. 

Everything on the ship is based on US dollars, regardless of region of the world it is sailing. And yes, while tips are optional, the crew appreciate tips in any amount in any denomination. 

On 1/30/2024 at 8:27 AM, WAAAYTOOO said:

If you are staying in a full suite, happy hour beverages (including cocktails) are complimentary during the HH time in the Suites Lounge.  If you are a Pinnacle and go to the SL for HH but are not staying in a full suite, your vouchers will be used.

Happy Hour in the Crown Lounge will result in using your vouchers no matter what type of room you are staying in or your C&A level.

And if you're a Pinnacle who stays in suites, make sure they know NOT to use your vouchers in SL...  have had that happen way too many times. 

1 hour ago, LandstromCruise said:

Does anyone know if you win a RUB if your luggage tags will update with the new room number?  Currently they are still showing the other room.  And I know I have read that you don't give your bags to a regular porter, but you are supposed to find a Star Class Porter.  We are sailing out of Galveston, is there a designated Star Class entrance and those porters are by there?  

Yes, don't drop your bags with the others. The Star Class spot is marked and IIRC near the end of when everyone else has dropped their luggage before you start to leave the terminal area. There will be dedicated staff there who will ask for your room number and then help get your luggage to the correct porter to take. They will also have luggage tags (paper) for you. 

Besides the items others have pointed out, I would say the scariest thing is looking at the bill/account at the end 

We recently sailed on Symphony in star class, and based on what we learned, the new "shoreside" genies are royally mucking up the services for the "real" genies on the ships. I wouldn't worry too much unless you go past 1 week prior to your sail date and you don't hear directly from your ship genie. 

In theory, the shore genies were primarily intended to help ease the burden on the ship genies, especially with Utopia's short sailings. In practice, it's creating a lot of confusion for guests and more work for the ship genies. 

We've used it several times and as others have noted 1) only put in items you don't mind exposing to high heat and 2) items can and will be lost (happens about 10% of the time) - nothing can really be done for a lost item or items. 

The Effectors on Icon...  that was his downfall. 

I'm kidding of course...  

17 hours ago, Jill said:

Didn’t read all comments but 2 weeks ago, people in our sailing’s Facebook group who were in suites were complaining in a big way how the suite sun deck was overrun with kids. Pool was jammed packed with screaming kids. Apparently parents booked suites and by golly they were going to use it…..with all their kids 

 

The problem isn't that there are kids. The problem is that the parents haven't been parents and taught their kids to be respectful of others. Although, there are also plenty of adults (kids or no kids) who have also not learned that lesson. 

On 4/29/2024 at 5:32 PM, walleyealx said:

Booked a Surfside family suite at announcement for the sole purpose of being able to use the perks (have never stayed in a suite on a cruise ship). Now that the date is approaching I'm worried that I'll miss the ocean view... I know this is a personal thing, but do you folks think the perks (sky deck, concierge, etc...) are worth sacrificing an ocean view balcony? I wouldn't plan on spending much time in the room if I didn't have an ocean view balcony.

 

Fwiw, I can still get out of my Surfside and switch to an ocean view balcony for some marginal savings (got a great deal initially on the Surfside, less than half of the current rate through RC).

 

Thanks ahead of time.

There are three primary benefits to a suite - the sun deck, access to CK, and the suite lounge/concierge(s).

The Grove - Easy to find a place to camp out and the food is decent Mediterranean type far, but the pool feels very isolated as its sunk down in the deck and there are no views out to the water (unlike the nice views on Wonder). Hot tub can be popular at times. Bar service is excellent. 

Coastal Kitchen - We never eat in the MDR anymore so its either specialty or Coastal. The view is not over the water as it looks into the Aquadome. Thus, it depends on which "views" you prefer. Food and service is comparable to other CKs. 

Suite Lounge/Concierges - They were fantastic and really helpful. Bar staff was good as well. 

But, here is the main issue - the room - Besides your concern about not looking out over the water, the other thing to consider is that the room "doesn't really feel like a suite". There is less storage (especially if you actually have a family in the room of more than two people) and the space is "tight". Royal provided several little "amenities" during the week - things like shower bombs, Icon swag, etc, throughout - I assume because they're aware people don't feel those rooms are "suite" enough and they're trying to make them feel special. (We sailed on Icon twice, and the first time was a different suite category - RCCL did not provide the little daily amenities in that one, thus the reason I think they're trying to plush it up a little)

I told my DS that I did not want to stay in those rooms again unless there was no other suite option. Thus, in my view, we tend to like and sail only in suites, but the Surfside suites are not worth it. 

What time of year are you planning? That will make one of the biggest differences in how crowded the ship is. Additionally, the newer the ship, the more likely it will also be crowded. Thus, your best bet would be one of the older ships sailing during non-peak times of the year. 

We've used the "wash and fold" bag service many times. In general, yes, everything is done in high heat so anything that may shrink or is sensitive to high temps (think a logo on a sports shirt) may not do well. Just be aware of what you put in the bag and how it may fare. 

On a related note, we've also had 3 separate occasions where an item was lost, so also keep that in mind in determining what you want them to wash. 

19 hours ago, wolfies said:

1- Do people bring insulated bottles from home for water, and if so where do you get water from, are there fountains? We drink a lot of water but I hate the thought of bringing/buying a case of water. (My husband and I also have the deluxe drink package but I will still want water for us and for the kids.)

 

5- I know tips are a hot topic...we prepaid for tips but I still want to bring cash to tip our attendant or any servers/bartenders that go above and beyond, plus our cabana attendant on Coco Cay. But I can't even decide what is a good amount?? Would someone be willing to throw a dollar amount out there? $100? $500? Honestly no idea what is a good amount.

As others have answered your original questions thoroughly, I will add on #1 that you can drink the water out of the tap in your room as well. It is perfectly fine (and likely even exceeds tap water in some local jurisdictions). On #5, there are numerous threads on this topic - the short summary is that if you have already done the auto-gratuities, then anything extra is totally up to your own judgement call. Do it or don't do it. 

The short answer is yes. That's the whole point of the "genie" to make things magically happen. 

As for activities, the flow rider time is usually not very convenient (early in the morning on a sea day), but depending on the cruise, you may or may not have it to yourself (we've had it a couple of times where we were the only family). YMMV. 

Just let the genie know that you want to do ice skating, laser tag, etc and they will help arrange a date and time to do the activity. There isn't a star only time for those activities, but the genie can arrange for you to go. IIRC, your kids may be able to skip the line for any water slides (just verify with the genie on any rules). 

I think the only main challenge you may have is the size of the group. Technically, the genie only serves the individuals booked in the room, so anyone not in the room is dependent on if the genie can include them or not. Sometimes they can and sometimes they can't depending on activity/reservations/etc. The shows should be no problem for everyone since the genie will put the purple cover over enough seats. 

Just remember - when in doubt, ask the genie. More often than not, they will try their best to accommodate a reasonable request (and sometimes unreasonable ones). 

16 hours ago, Atricks said:

The entertainment booking options just opened up tonight on our March 16th Icon cruise, and I've not seen mention of this show anywhere.  Is this "Effectors 3"?   Are we getting the first showing of it on Icon?

I just don't know anything about it and haven't heard anything about it (booked it anyway since we were on both Odyssey and Wonder before the Effector shows were ready):

Screencap of cruise planner below:  (clicking on it provides no further info except times, we reserved the first one day 5 (cozumel) at 7pm)

 

Thanks for flagging this. I had been checking the app (we're on the same sailing), but in typical RCCL fashion, the app doesn't have entertainment reservation options, only online. 

You're not missing anything if you haven't seen any of the other "Effectors" shows as it seems that is what Royal is starting to theme their own production shows. There is an element of "superheroes" to it (if I recall one of the other productions correctly), but there is no need to worry about missing any story elements or tying them together.

Separately, Oz is fantastic (we saw it on the inaugural), and I hope the full aqua show is ready as the inaugural was abbreviated. Also, hopefully they do the second ice show (family friendly one), which I thought was better than Starburst. Reservations are not required for that one. 

As others have said, nearly every time we've gone to the arcade, half the machines aren't working. 

Even on the inaugural for Icon, there were a couple of machines not running. 

If you want to spend time in the arcade, just pay as you play a few games and don't bother with any prepaid plans. 

On 1/2/2024 at 4:03 PM, VillainsGin said:

I've been scouring all over the internet for any definitive sources that answers my questions but to no avail. Hoping some fellow cruisers know anymore more than I do regarding the infinite ocean view balcony rooms.

 

Question: Does the infinite view balcony rooms have some sort of partition/divider/door to separate the cabin and the balcony area to maintain the air conditioning?

 

I've seen countless of videos and pictures either showing no separation between balcony/cabin or curtains/folding doors.

I figured with all the money, time and resource put into Icon OTS they would include some sort of partition so you can open the balcony window freely without jeopardizing your air conditioned room. Caribbean is known to get quite warm and humid and without any way to separate your balcony window from the cabin it would immediately heat up the cabin and perhaps cause mold due to moisture or condensation between cold and hot air. This could constantly deter you from enjoying the balcony if you're aware opening it would cause your cabin to use considerable energy to cool down the cabin again.

 

 

See my post here: 

As you can see in pic, there is no "hard" divider.  There are 2 curtains, a sheer one and a light blocking one. 

On 2/10/2024 at 10:19 AM, Lovetocruise2002 said:

No. The bar at the Grove operated like the other suite sundeck bars on Oasis class, you have to pay, use your drink package, or redeem diamond vouchers. Evening happy hour is only in the suite lounge. We made it a point to find this out because Hubby wanted a soda one day and he asked the guys at the Grove bar. That was their answer.

That's interesting. I think that's consistent with what the policy is supposed to be (ie, no free drinks on suite sun deck on other ships, even during happy hour), but as is typical with RCCL being inconsistent, I had a different experience. I was lounging in the hot tub one early evening and bartender did not charge me during the happy hour time (never took card or asked for room number). Thus, YMMV depending on who is manning the bar. 

3 hours ago, Matt said:

 

Nice video and your points are spot on (as usual).

I am curious about flow/capacity (point #1 in video and raised above in thread) and whether it will hold true. The inaugural was only about 85% capacity versus a normal summer sailing is around 120%. We will be back on in March for Spring Break, and that will be the real test once we are at fuller capacity and including more kids (there were very few on board since school is still in session). 

8 hours ago, GJ_123 said:

We have an infinite ocean view balcony booked which will be interesting to see, I do wonder though if it really is a 'balcony' or just a bit of a bigger room with virtually a window 

 

We had an Infinite Grand Suite, so we had one of the infinite balconies. In that room, there are four "windows" that run floor to ceiling with the mid-point between the upper and lower at cruise banister height level (ie, about mid chest) and the right/left split was almost even. Only the left upper window would open/close. 

Thus, you get nice views out (regardless of outside weather conditions), and yes, you get a bit of a bigger room (it does allow for more space feeling). But, you have less of the the "open air" feeling out on a normal balcony. Read threads about Royal's premium line as there has been heated opinions on them after they were introduced on those ships. 

At the end of the day, it will come down to your own preferences. In my view, we like having them as an option, but they will not be for everyone. 

Its supposed to be every 30 mins, but as others have pointed out, it is highly variable. It depends on the staff and when they decide to go up and down. 

Also, as an aside, I think Oasis may still be the only one that has water jets that shoot up when the bar is on the 8th deck. I could be wrong in that they've removed (or don't activate it) anymore. 

5 hours ago, ScottD said:

which was the right thing to do. Sneaking a kid in because they ordered it a while ago is a lame excuse, just cancel and get that money back and use it for the something the family can do together, legitimately. 

??? I don't understand your reference here to being the right thing to do unless you are confusing my post with K-Canada's post from above. I have no idea of what they may have done or not with their minors.