CruisinTexan

Just curious: we have a cruise planned for August 1, 2020. If they are cruising would you go? Not fearful but curious! I really want to take this cruise, been a long spring and always look forward to our trips! Will they require masks all over the ship? I think that could be a deal breaker for me!

I think in the cruise planner you can prepare your gratuities.

Sounds kind of odd but I love the corned beef hash in the windjammer at breakfast! It is something I wouldn’t have as home and never get anywhere else! Of course the anything I don’t have to cleanup after prepping! I like to cook, hate to clean up!!

@av3206 we had a 10am flight from Galveston and they discouraged us from keeping, said the chances of making it weren’t good!

The world has changed a great deal in 10 years as we all know! That said... Navigator OTS was one of our best cruises! We went on a Christmas cruise that wasn’t great, felt like everything was a training test! We have gone on several other cruise lines and keep coming back RCCL! Sorry you had a bad time. Give them another chance before you quit all together!

@IRMO12HD yes, we did the sushi class and had a blast along with a great meal after!! If you like to eat sushi it is a great class!

One trip with took with our kids, I had grabbed what I thought was my stack of passports and birth certificates. This was when you just needed a BC to sail, started handing the paperwork to the clerk checking us in and what I thought was my daughters birth certificate was a copy of mine!!! We had nothing for her to board the ship. Thankfully she had given her boyfriend her apartment key and he was able to get into her place and find her passport and have it faxed to the port office and we got on. I now check and triple check everything!!

What cruise line are you sailing on? We booked on RCCL greater than 45 days before our sail date, and choose out room then. Maybe it is a line thing?!?!

@AshleyDillo Thanks for the Ideas!! @WAAAYTOOO , My husband would LOVE the $1 Coronas!! I will talk to husband and what he thinks, Always helps to hear others ideas and experiences!!

Sign out and try signing back in. Sometimes the system doesn’t know you or something. If it keeps up, wait an hour and try again. You should be able to sign up for stuff up to about a week before, maybe closer.We signed up for several classes and activities weeks before. If you cannot get in before, try as soon as you get on board!!

We have one day in port that we couldn’t find an excursion that we wanted to do. So we decided that maybe we just stay on the ship and enjoy the quiet and get a pedi or massage!! Have any of you done this? I feel like I might be wasting an opportunity in the post be I haven’t seen super good reviews about Costa Maya, (don’t want to sit on the beach or shop)! We are not party people! If we did get off the ship, it a place you could recommend for lunch? Thanks in advance for the ideas!!

I always take on of those small waterproof containers that you can wear around your neck!! Secure and I can keep a little cash and my cards safe and close at hand!! We have never had a problem on cruises...The only time we lost anything (aka robbed) was in a high dollar hotel in Cancun. Enjoy sour cruise!! DeStress!!!!!!

Would classes qualify? We are doing a guacamole class on our coming cruise. Also doing a special tour/brunch.

I also asked this elsewhere but wanted to add it here: We are sailing on Freedom Of the Seas in June out of Puerto Rico. The documents state that departure is at 8:30PM, What do they do about dinner that evening with this late departure? Do you go to the dining room or are you stuck with the Windjammer? I don't like change so this makes me a little nervous!! Thanks for any info.

June 7, Navigator of the seas!

My biggest fear is leaving stuff behind!!

We took the Ephesus excursion in Turkey and it was great. Beautiful country, and a surprise

I could really used some Diet Dr Pepper on the ship! Diet Coke just doesn't do it for this Texas gal!

I always carry a highlighter and mark up the cruise compass with the things that interest me! but then I usually get side tracked the next day and forget or lose track of time! I don't wear a watch on a cruise, vacation means not keeping track of time, at least in my book!

The Windjammer was pretty much like always. The MDR was the big disappointment. the food was "so, so" and the wait staff was really off. We had to ask for iced tea the first 4 nights and coffee every night. no one else was offered tea. it took so long to get our food after placing our orders that I started timing them. One night it took almost 15 minutes to get dessert and he only had 3 tables and none were full (the others had 6 seats ours had 10 and none were full). We would sit for quite a while waiting for the next course. I always order the sugar free dessert and they were all the same, flavor didn't even change. One night I ordered the Crème Bulee and it wasn't worth the sugar and calories! We have a cruise booked for June so hopefully this past one was just a fluke and the next will be wonderful as usual!!

We just returned on Saturday (28 Dec) :). Serenade of the Seas was a beautiful, although smaller ship. The first stop was Key West, we got a massage before we did a little shopping in port. Next stop was Nassau, we spent a few hours at Blue Lagoon Island before headed into town for dinner. It was Christmas eve so most of the town closed up early. Christmas day we were supposed to tender over to CocoCay but the seas had turned rough and it wasn't safe to transport so we missed out on that trip, but the time on board to relax was great. It was a nice cruise as usual but the food and main dining room service was hardly up to RCCL standards. :( It almost seemed as if it were a training cruise for the dining room and kitchen staff. We had never been to one of the onboard restaurants so ,the last night on board we went to Giovanni's Table, the food was great and I had the best Tiramisu I have ever had, it was excellent, better than anything in the main dining room. I will post a review of the cruise later this week, just wanted to answer you question. Booked our next cruise onboard, June, Jewel of the Seas! :D

My son didn't do a good job of packing for his first cruise and we ended up renting him a tux (grandma had planned the cruise as a family event and we HAD to have dinners together, even had a special huge table in the middle of the main dining room, everyone on the ship knew about the big family on board!) anyway, it was convenient and he looked amazing in his tux! He even learned to enjoy dressing up!

What you have just said is very much how we felt about our trip on the Oasis it's first year out. People everywhere and long lines that moved at a snails pace kept us from doing a lot of the activities. It is a beautiful ship but just too many people for them to adequately care for at the expected level of RCCL. I will stick to the smaller ships, leaving in less than two weeks...can't wait!

Matt and Don have a really good point about keeping the same waitstaff from night to night! I have some very specific dietary request! And having the same waiter keeps me from explaining it every night! They learn and remember you by name and make you feel SO special! The prepaid tips is fine, but you might even want to add a little extra for the really good folks you take such amazing care of you! We love RCCL...and have had some great trips!