tonyfsu21

1 hour ago, Pattycruise said:

I’d seen him a few times on sailings out of NJ and I found him to be hilarious.  I went standby a few times just to see him again.  He was able to add some different material each time.  Watching him in the small venue reminded me of “back in the day” comedy clubs.  I’d almost consider booking the wonder just to see him again!

Yes, I really like his quick witted interaction with the audience. This guy is a gem for Royal Caribbean. 

3 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

That's how we felt too last year. It's just too much. But fair warning, standing in the promenade wasn't too fun either. It was super crowded. I wonder where they will do the countdown on Odyssey this year. We have never done NYE on a Quantum class ship.

Oh I know, it’s a big mess of broken Champaign bottles and confetti. It gets really crazy! Good question re: venue on Odyssey. I don’t think the music hall is big enough but that would be my choice on that ship. You guys will have an amazing time. 

20 hours ago, twangster said:

Also, my money is on Port Canaveral.  

Until Royal announces it, anything is possible.  

I hope so. We have been enjoying the extended trip before the Thanksgiving week sailing with the kids in Disney the past couple years. Good times 

8 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

This thread has prompted me to go back to my live blog from SY NYE last year. This seems like something I would have documented. Sure enough, I did. 
Our suite concierge reached out to us a few days before sailing with the price list for promenade venues. The prices were not pretty. I am willing to bet they will be even uglier this year

 

This pricing MUST be for the overwater cabanas at Coco Cay. Another typo from the IT department. Seriously, I will always upsize my happy meal but this is going slightly overboard. I think we will watch the promenade movie unfold at midnight while standing. 

7 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

We saw him on Wonder in June and agree 100%. You'd probably know better than me but my impression is that the comedians are staying on the ship (or at least that ship) for longer periods than they used to. I'm not suggesting he hasn't gotten off since June, of course, but I do know he was there for several weeks in a row and obviously he's back on Wonder now.

In any case, very funny guy. My running commentary on cruise ship comedians is that they should be banned from telling jokes about the ship. We get it... the cabins are small and people eat a lot. *groan*

100% agree. The cruise ship shower jokes have “jumped the shark”. 

Over the Thanksgiving holiday on Wonder we decided to go to the Attic comedy club and saw Paul Ogata. This guy was hilarious and a true professional at his craft. We literally didn’t stop laughing through his entire set. I hope to see him again on another ship (possibly Icon). 

9 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

What type of music was it or what band did they cover?

Oops I thought I attached a picture. This was a band covering Motown hits from the 60’s and 70’s. Not bad by any means but just seemed like the music hall needed at least a time slot or two for some rock or 70’s-80’s hits. I guess we were spoiled by Phoenix the last few music hall experiences. 

14 minutes ago, Coach9 said:

Just checking if anyone has been on any Royal ships and if they are still doing the Tribute bands on oasis and quantum class ships?

We were just on Wonder last week for a holiday week and the tribute band “Temperature” was there all week. Not my style music at all and IMHO a terrible waste of a once great music venue. 

7 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Did you see that somewhere Tony? I was under the assumption that it would be sometime in the summer, not specifically August...

Unfortunately the source was Wiki which is not my favorite and most reliable source.

Of SOTS is scheduled to enter service 8/2025, when will her home port and sailings be announced? We are looking to book Thanksgiving 2025 and already have Icon booked for Thanksgiving 2024. Thanks in advance. 

This sounds like an absolute nightmare. If you want to expend some time you could always check out Kennedy space center after cruise and take rideshare to the airport. 

15 hours ago, Gilley said:

I’m wondering if the slot machines are not considered casino does that mean you won’t earn any points toward prime status?

Maybe they should just remove the slot machines and just have tables if that is all that counts.  If that happens I will save lots of money as I don’t know how to play tables and have no desire to learn.  I like the slots.

Don’t fall into the depths of this black hole of fake news.

16 hours ago, Captain Cruise said:

Guests are starting to report a couple new changes to the Casino Royale benefits earned by Prime, Signature and Masters level players. This is may be preparatory to the rumored merger of Blus Chip and Club Royale, or it may be Club Royal copying other cruise lines.

The first change that has been reported is that the drinks normally offered by the casino to Prime level and above will only be complimentary when the tables are in action. It has been reported that the casino managers are informing guests that the slot machines are not considered casino. This will drop the hours available to the casino bar by about 20-30%.

The second change is signs are now showing that the Prime drinks are only available to guests who are actually gambling. Prime member will no longer be able to enjoy a drink at the bar without paying for it.

As these get rolled out, if they concern you, or if you have any comments, please contact ClubRoyale@rccl.com

This is fake news. I would question everything the moment it was suggested that slots “were not considered casino”. RC puts 400+ machines in a ships casino for a good reason. This is just ridiculous. I was on Wonder last week and had more comped drinks at the casino bar than any other bar on the ship (there are slot machines built into the bar!!!!!). 

I have walked from the port to downtown a number of times and it’s not so bad if you enjoy walking. I recall it being a couple miles with some very interesting sites and people watching along the way. 

2 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

@tonyfsu21what ship are you sailing for NYE?

Symphony 12/30 sailing. Hoping for a major Royal Up score this time!

Can anyone recall if pre booking is available to reserve tables or chairs on the Promenade for NYE? I feel silly asking considering we have cruised during this holiday for 5+ years I just don’t remember the process. I’m not looking for dining reservation's. Thanks!

Just walked off Wonder this morning after completing this same voyage (again). We had an awesome time at Nachi Cocom beach club in Cozumel and I recommend it (along with paradise beach). The pool at the end of the pier in Costa Maya is a destination. There were multiple dining options, massive pool and lots of shopping. I still haven’t ventured to Maya Chan but I’m also not a fan of mainland Mexico. The pool is an excellent place to spend a few hours especially if you have kids. IMHO Roatan is kind of dumpy but we enjoyed the Jolly Roger snorkeling on a catamaran. I haven’t really found anything else redeeming on that island and personally don’t want to pet monkeys or sloths while on vacation. The only downside to the Jolly Roger tour was the bus ride back and forth was not as efficient as a tour where the catamaran picks you up on the pier by the ship. Overall great experience though at all stops. Also, it looks like they are building a costa maya style pool destination at the Roatan port which might be ready.   

I ordered from the Chops selections last night in the MDR and the quality was sub par. I have ordered the surf and turf every year for more than a decade and it’s been great but not this time around. The lobster at one point was a decent sized Maine that was grilled and halved with the claw meat included and it was excellent. What I received on my plate last night was a very small tail which was a tiny bit larger than the free rock lobster tails they serve on lobster night. It was still decent but the presentation was off which IMHO is just another cutback coming to light that I noticed. 

This might be another case of the balcony door switch cutting out the AC…..

34 minutes ago, JohnK6404 said:

Phew... we booked it for next May for the first time based (in part) on the recommendation of one of Matt's awesome RC blog videos from 2021. No kids, so we wanted a more chill atmosphere and we liked what we saw on the video. I guess it's changed in the last year or so? I've heard so many negative comments about Mr. Sanchos over the last few years and we had no desire to go there. 

Happy to hear you had a great time!

Yeah we had a great time. I think you will be happy with the chill atmosphere. We arrived around 10am and left about 1pm and there were never significant crowds. The server called a taxi for us and within 10 minutes we were on the way back to the ship. Service has always been consistently good but I normally tip the server early on and that may very well be the reason. 

5 hours ago, Matt said:

I’ve also stopped going to Nachi. I love that they limit capacity but their service isn’t what it used to be and drink selection is very limited. Not to mention their pool is tiny and freezing. 

I still prefer Nachi to the other choices. We had excellent service and some cold drinks today. Good times! 

Visiting Cozumel today and Nachi Cocum with the family on Wonder. Looking forward to a great beach day at Nachi as we always do!

12 hours ago, mjteashop said:

Hi All!  First time cruiser on Wonder in December.  Very excited obviously.  Booked sooo long ago in a stateroom that suited our need and budget - balcony stateroom for family of four.  However, received the RoyalUp invite and getting tempted - mainly because my kids have grown taller and I've grown wider since!  The Junior Suite seems a viable option - especially as we'd only be paying for the first two adults.  However, the JS information is a little confusing - J3 vs J4.

Question: If I bid for a Junior Suite, will the RoyalUp system only consider our group of four for the quad occupancy Junior suites (J3)?  Don't want to "win" a Junior Suite upgrade and find it is dual occupancy (J4) and have a "situation".  Or am I completely misunderstanding the Junior Suite (J3 vs J4) layout/configuration and can 4 pax be accommodated in both?

Happy to roll the dice but don't want to get a downgrade - in terms of bedding.

 

I wouldn’t put too much thought into Royal up at all especially a suite on Wonder. The probability of winning is very very low. 

We arrived to the parking garage at 9:30 and dropped bags. Literally zero interruptions from the car to the playmakers bar at 10:15. 

Onboard with a beer in hand by 10:15am. This is a record for us.