SeaSomm

6 hours ago, FireFishII said:

I was thinking the same

There are 20 of us coming into the port city at different times from different parts of the country, so it would be a lot to coordinate for anyone agreeing to print luggage tags and get them to those who don't have them. We won't all be in together in one place until we have boarded the ship.

 A few of us in a large party that is cruising together don't gave printers. Will Royal print luggage tags for us at embarkation and, if so, is this likely to create any type of hold up?

3 hours ago, CruisingNewb said:

I will try and answer this question using my experience as a former chef and my limited cruise experience (only sailed 6 times - twice on RCCL

1. Fish is finicky.  Some fish can be overcooked and still delicious.  If you choose fish in the MDR, try choosing saucy fish dishes as the sauces help keep fish moist.

2. Specialty restaurant fish: Hooked is hit or miss.  The branzino from Wonderland and Jaime's Italian (I think - can't recall at the moment) was good.  We had it 3 times.  I don't like branzino but since they are mild, white fish, they take on flavors really well.  Unlike halibut, branzino seems to stay moist(er) even when slightly overcooked.  We have had great shrimp and calamari experiences at all of the specialty dining options.  The shellfish dishes from Chops were all okay.  Not great, not bad.  

3. MDR....Lobster is best during earlier dining times in my experience.  They aren't hurrying to fill orders like during peak times and you likely won't get undercooked or overcooked lobster.  Shrimp is sooooo hit or miss in the MDR.  Calamari, when served, is a miss in the MDR.

4. Fish N Ships. If you are cruising on a ship with this venue, all of the fish and chips (halibut, pollock, and fried lobster) are cooked to perfection.  Afterall, they deep fry it and once the batter is cooked, the fish comes out.  Unlikely to be overcooked.

 

This is super helpful. Bummer about the calamari. I love it. But great news about fish and chips. I love that too. (I have actually encountered overcooked fish and chips. Correct frying is an art, so it's far from a given that it will be good.) We're in the earliest dining slot, so that bodes well. Do you know if the grilled branzino is served whole? That's how I really like it, not so much in filet form.

Well, I'm not going to chance it. Thanks, all.

I'm really trying to pack light for my cruise next week. I have read that RCL doesn't provide bathrobes in lower-level staterooms (I'm in a balcony room), but that you can always get one if you ask your attendant. I just want to double check that this is currently the case. I will bring one if I have to, but that's a lot of space in my suitcase. Thanks for your help. I'm new here and to RCL and I've found these message boards to be really useful.

2 hours ago, Riley said:

(NOTE: this is all based on the older menus - won't be able to comment on the new ones until May) They usually do the salmon properly, especially if you request it medium-rare. The dover sole and snapper are both hit-or-miss. Shrimp are usually a bit mealy, though I've had some very good shrimp dishes. The fish and chips is just cod and has been good every time I've tried it.

If you're on a ship that has it, "Hooked" is also hit-or-miss - i was terrific on "Symphony" and awful on "Wonder."  Good luck!

No Hooked on my ship. Looks like Chops has a grilled branzino, which should be safe. Think I'll get that and avoid fish in the MDR.

My inclination for an upcoming cruise would be to order a lot of fish and seafood dishes, but in my experience properly cooked fish is hard to come by in large-scale dining situations. It's usually overcooked and sometimes dry to the point of unpalatability. I should note that my preference is that fish be cooked "moist," or in the case of steak-type fish, rare. If the fish is dry or well done I will pass. Am I likely to be disappointed by Main Dining Room fish entrees?

3 hours ago, KJones said:

Does Turo do one-way rentals? OP is looking to leave the car in Vancouver...

Ah, I missed that. Typically they do not.

Try Turo. It's like Airbnb for people who rent out their personal cars, often for less than conventional car rental companies. You may find that there is a van available close to you.

3 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

There have been reports of this happening, suggesting that your assigned room keeps changing, which triggers something on the Royal Up side to cancel all bids.

I wondered if it had to do with the GTY status. I've had an assigned room for about a week, though, and it has not changed, while the Royal Up offer has been cancelled twice since the room was assigned.

2 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

Is your current cabin a GTY cabin?

Yes.

Has this ever happened to anyone? I received an invitation to bid on an upgrade and submitted bids on two staterooms for just above the minimum. My Royal Up request was subsequently cancelled without explanation. I resubmitted the bids twice and each time they were cancelled. I spoke with three different RC representatives. None of them had any idea why my Royal Up requests were cancelled. I tried to resubmit my bids just now and the minimum bid has doubled, pricing me out of the offer. Obviously, RC can handle upgrades any way they wish, but I feel jerked around.

3 hours ago, Wheeler825 said:

Here's a different question, are you taxed on casino wins that are won at sea?

Yes, you would be responsible for paying taxes on any winnings.

I am sorry that you were sick and had to be hospitalized. That must have been miserable. Based on your time frame, it is extremely unlikely that you picked up the infection on the ship.

Thanks for the review and photographic tour. The food looks good. I would hope for better wine at a dinner of this caliber. Other than the Mondavi, these are pretty pedestrian wines. I wonder if they would consider swapping out some of the wines for more interesting ones at the same price point.

On 1/30/2023 at 11:08 PM, JohnK6404 said:

Hi @Jill!

I'm not sure what truly qualifies as "gourmet", but the experience we had on Odyssey last year on Valentine's Day was excellent!

It was held in this private room in the back of Chops Grille. Here are a bunch of pics!

A few more people joined us after this pic...

The menu...

The wine pairings for each course...

The bread I believe is the 150 Central Park bread...

Our Chef...

Our waiter/sommelier...

Course One:  Scallop Carpaccio… just OK was the consensus. I’ll take broiled or seared whole scallops any day over this presentation.

Course Two:  Smoked Tomato Soup… amazing… liked by all. 

Course Three:  Maine Lobster Salad… also liked by all.

Course Four:  Roasted Branzino… liked by all. Our first time eating Branzino. Skin separated very easily from the filet. Very tasty as prepared.

Course Five:  Grilled Filet Mignon… loved by all.

Course Six/Dessert:  The World… loved by all… our first time since we have not dined in Wonderland yet. Paired with a Salted Caramel Expresso Martini.

 

We definitely plan to do this again in the future... just make sure you have 2-3 hours to spare for this experience!

 

Thanks for the review photographic tour. The food looks good but I would hope for somewhat better wine at a dinner of this caliber.  Other than the Mondavi, the wines are pretty pedestrian.

25 minutes ago, dr martini said:

from one food business professional to another let me tell you, you'll be just fine, they have recovered from last year's more severe supply problems and the main bars have every standard and many high end options to cover what you're looking for all served by very experienced professionals, most of whom are not running back and washing dishes and stocking towels and doing the napkin wave parade.  At bars like schooner bar and in the pub and in the other mainstays along the centrum and other public areas there are pros who do nothing but sling drinks and make all kinds of cocktails all day, everyday with no break, for contract after contract.  

others here are right, strike up a conversation, find out what the bartender likes, where their previous contract was, which bars and ships they prefer...it's one of my favorite things to do on board.  

This is really good to hear. My last cruise was on a boutique line and the experience at the bars was great, even if I did have to explain how to make a couple of drinks. The bartenders were skilled, personable and eager to provide a good experience for all of us. I had a great time chatting with them, especially the bartender who most often served me. He was from Ukraine, and I often wonder how he and his family are doing. This is my first RC cruise, so I didn't know what to expect. I'm really looking forward to it.

46 minutes ago, KristiZ said:

Talk to the bar manager and find out which sommelier they recommend as the most experienced, then talk to that person about what interests you. There are sometimes one-off bottles or limited supplies of wine that don’t make it to the menu. Never hurts to ask!

Also, if you can catch the last one or two sailing before a ship heads to dry dock you can get some great wine deals as they empty their cupboards!  

Thank you! Great idea to talk to the sommelier to see what they might have squirreled away.

56 minutes ago, Austin said:

Some of my favorite bartenders have been on the smaller ships… tend to have more personalized service and they know you on a first name basis and even learn what you like/make suggestions based on what you usually have… just my take.

This makes sense. Thank you!

I'm a wine and cocktail geek (I work in the alcoholic beverage industry) and I'll be sailing out of Tampa on Brilliance of the Seas later in the month. Brilliance is a smaller ship with fewer dining and drinking options than some, but I'm looking for advice on where to best get my craft cocktail itch scratched. Do any of the venues have a really savvy bartender able to make recommendations to a knowledgeable drinker, maybe even design a drink based on my preferences? (I know that all the bartenders can theoretically do this, but the skill and knowledge of bartenders varies wildly.) I'm hoping to find a rock star bartender somewhere on the ship. Where are the best places to get a well-made craft cocktail, bartenders aside? I like a good tropical/tiki drink as much as the next person, but will gravitate towards dryer, more complex drinks--to avoid consuming loads of sugar if for no other reason.

The wine possibilities look mostly unappealing, so I will probably bring a couple bottles onboard to have at dinner. If anyone knows of a gem wine-list gem in any of the restaurants, I would love to hear about it. Tell me your secrets for drinking well on RC!

On 2/4/2023 at 8:11 AM, AshleyDillo said:

We had an issue with spam bots, so @Matt turned on the auto moderation.  I think it is tied to amount of time since joining rather than number of posts. I've  manually taken you off moderation so you should be able to contribute freely now!

Thank you!

I am a new member and look forward to participating in discussions here. Every comment I make seems to require approval by a moderator, which can take up to a day or two. This prevents timely participation in discussions. Is this just protocol for every new member? When will I be able to post without having moderator approval? This seems like an overly paternalistic approach. Why not just let people post and reserve moderation for those who have a history of problematic behavior? I really enjoy the content here but would enjoy participating more if it were a more dynamic experience.

I love that idea.

On 1/16/2023 at 3:52 PM, DrGaellon said:

Oh, I don't have questions. After seven cruises, I think I have things down. Just looking for a place to meet other LGBT cruisers. There used to be a site specific for us, but they shut down their forums.

Hey, Doc. Fellow LGBT cruiser here. A group of about 18 of us, men and women, are going on the the 5-day Western Caribbean and Mexico cruise leaving from Tampa on February 27. If you happen to be on that cruise, make sure to say hello. We're a super-friendly bunch.

On 4/5/2022 at 8:53 AM, smokeybandit said:

Some states have laws banning CBD if it crosses the 0.3% THC threshold

CBD and THC are two separate substances. CBD has no psychoactive properties. I can't imagine that bringing it on board would be an issue.