bigburlyjohn

BigBurlyJohn,
 
I am so sorry you are not having the cruise you wanted and deserved and paid for. Like you I am not demanding but I always say I want what I paid for and you certainly aren't getting it. Hopefully to make you smile I will tell you I took a cruise on RCCL last spring and I had a problem with toe nails all over my bathroom floor, the toilet not working properly and being filthy and then I got bitten by bed bugs or fleas, (RCCL wasn't sure what they were), I asked for another room and was refused. I showed them my legs, rash and blisters and they still refused. They came in and changed the mattress and linens out, it took two days for the toilet to be fixed. I remembered to document everything, pictures of my legs, the toilet and when I got home I was busy writing emails to everyone at RCCL. It worked I got a 100% refund but my point was I should have been moved, given another room.
 
Remember to document so when you get home you can send emails.
 
Hopefully everything will be fine moving forward on the cruise.
 
Candie

Agree with you about these little things adding up. Did 19 straight days on the Jewel a few weeks ago, and found the same thing. This doesn't work here, nobody knows about that, etc. Things wrong in the cabin seemed to be a real chore to resolve, no hot water, no TV, safe does not work. There are no real repair people, just some newbee's with a screwdriver going cabin to cabin to pit out as many fires as possible.
 
This was after the ship came out of a $30,000,000 dry dock. Was the cruise ruined?.....NO, but it was not what I was used to with Royal

Interesting.  I don't think I have heard of Royal using American shipyards to do major drydocks.  Of course, I don't know much about these things...but I just seem to remember that they are usually overseas drydocks.
 
Glad to see it !

It's a little short on details, but here is a link to a video reporting about the refurbishment of Radiance of the Seas in Portland:
 
http://koin.com/2016/05/12/dry-docked-ship-brings-jobs-money-to-portland/
 
 

Only the card that will be used onboard (tied to your seapass acct) will be needed.

Only the card that will be used onboard (tied to your seapass acct) will be needed.

Only the card that will be used onboard (tied to your seapass acct) will be needed.

It's broken glass that has been worn down and rounded off by the sea.  Some of it is very old.  Most of it is not.  In the fort in St. Croix there is a small museum devoted to it.  The woman there, I don't remember her name, has the history of it in St. Croix.  There is a multi colored pottery that is very old from there.  We found one piece of it.  The greens and browns, although pretty, are likely beer bottles and not old.  However, the blues, reds, and yellows are old.  Regardless, there is lots there, and we have a beautiful jar full of it, and it's a conversation piece when friends visit.
 
We want to go back to get more.

I love the history of the islands.  I like to visit the forts.  San Juan is my favorite, but as mentioned, stay out of La Perla. 
 
Last year while on the Adventure of the Seas, we went to all islands I'd been to before... except the last day.  We stopped at St. Croix.  I wasn't looking forward to that port because of preconceived notions of it not being very good.  Turns out, it was great.  There is a cool fort right off the end of the pier.  Then we snorkeled and picked up a ton of sea glass that is now displayed in a cool jar on our back porch.  We loved St. Croix.

Our first cruise was on Independence in 2013...Like many of the rest of you, we are cruise-a-holics now and cruise as often as time off allows.
 
In between we do as best we can to get our fix from the RCL Blog, podcast and periscopes.

Our first cruise was on Independence in 2013...Like many of the rest of you, we are cruise-a-holics now and cruise as often as time off allows.
 
In between we do as best we can to get our fix from the RCL Blog, podcast and periscopes.

I must be getting a little jaded at this time in my life, but I haven't viewed a single excursion that looks exciting.  After a few cruises, they all look the same and offer no real travel dollar value.   Maybe, at the LAST minute, I might choose something but we find exploring, dining and walking to be more fulfilling.  

John, you have a very perceptive way of evaluating your ports of call, I will grant you that !  I can't disagree with you about any of your conclusions.
 
I found, as I cruised more (in the Caribbean) that soon one Caribbean island became pretty much is the same as the next.  Obviously, some have a certain charm that you may really enjoy but truly...they quickly become synonymous with one another and to be honest, I cannot really distinguish one from another except in some extreme cases (for the life of me I can never remember the difference between Antigua and St. Lucia.  I always get those 2 mixed up !).  A beach is a beach.  Shopping is shopping and a conch fritter tastes pretty much the same no matter where you get it.
 
My least 2 favorite ports are also Falmouth and St. Kitts.  Of the western Caribbean ports, I am not particularly fond of Roatan or Belize although my problem with Belize is Belize City. I absolutely LOVE the REST of Belize (at least, what I have seen of it...which isn't all that much, to be fair).
 
The southern Caribbean island do appeal to me more than the more popular eastern and western Caribbean itineraries.  I love Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao - particularly Curacao.  I find all 3 of those islands to be very quaint and charming.  I think you will enjoy these stops.

This is a link to the Royal Caribbean website suggesting what to pack, the number of formal nights dependent on the cruise length, suggested attire and what not to bring on a cruise. In short, I was looking for the number of formal nights for a 9 night cruise when I came across this:
 
http://www.royalcaribbean.com/beforeyouboard/whatToKnow/whatToPack.do
 
Cruise Length Casual Smart Casual Formal 3-night 2 0 1 4-night 3 0 1 5-night 3 1 1 6-night 3 1 2 7-night 4 1 2 8-night 4 2 2 9-night 5 2 2 10-night 6 2 2 11-night 7 2 2 12-night 8 2 2* 13-night 9 2 2 14-night 8 3 3 15-night+ Remaining Casual 3 3 The number of smart casual and formal nights is at the ship's discretion.

Note: *Some 12-night European cruises may have 3 formal nights

John,
 
The equivalent cabins on Deck 2 actually have the head of the beds against the hull/under the window. I wonder if your cluster of cabins was the exception to the normal layout?

Thanks for the info BigBurlyJohn!  I always liked all the glass on the Radiance-class ships. Really makes me feel like I'm on the sea.

Just a few thoughts about our ocean view cabin aboard Brilliance:
 
Our ocean view cabin 3102 on Deck 3 was as expected regarding size and amenities. It's nice to have a large window to look out, but I wouldn't pay hundreds of dollars extra for the advantages over an inside stateroom. Unlike our Freedom Class Oceanview which had the head of the bed right under the window; on Brilliance the bed is turned 90 degrees and there is a little walk room between the bed and window.
 
We like being relatively close to elevators rather than walking down long hallways. This room met that criteria as it was only two doors down from the elevator and stairs common area.
 
Advantages of being on a lower deck, less movement of the ship is realized, elevators are never full going up, we were only one deck below our dining room (short walk) and only one deck above where we disembarked for port stops.
 
Overall the ship is beautiful; not as large as Freedom Class but very familiar. While not the case for us, if someone were to have mobility issues the ship is big enough to have some nice features, but not so large that it is a major undertaking to go from one end to the other.
 
If anyone has any questions about our four night voyage to Cozumel just let me know.
 
Kind Regards

Just a few thoughts about our ocean view cabin aboard Brilliance:
 
Our ocean view cabin 3102 on Deck 3 was as expected regarding size and amenities. It's nice to have a large window to look out, but I wouldn't pay hundreds of dollars extra for the advantages over an inside stateroom. Unlike our Freedom Class Oceanview which had the head of the bed right under the window; on Brilliance the bed is turned 90 degrees and there is a little walk room between the bed and window.
 
We like being relatively close to elevators rather than walking down long hallways. This room met that criteria as it was only two doors down from the elevator and stairs common area.
 
Advantages of being on a lower deck, less movement of the ship is realized, elevators are never full going up, we were only one deck below our dining room (short walk) and only one deck above where we disembarked for port stops.
 
Overall the ship is beautiful; not as large as Freedom Class but very familiar. While not the case for us, if someone were to have mobility issues the ship is big enough to have some nice features, but not so large that it is a major undertaking to go from one end to the other.
 
If anyone has any questions about our four night voyage to Cozumel just let me know.
 
Kind Regards

It seems that some equate nice dress with being uncomfortable, which does not have to be the case. While I’m not opposed to something less than formal wear, I prefer a jacket and tie for dinner most nights and do not feel a need to change prior to attending a show or evening activities.
 
I do oppose cruise wear being reduced to the least common denominator, or dumbed down to the Walmart standard.

It seems that some equate nice dress with being uncomfortable, which does not have to be the case. While I’m not opposed to something less than formal wear, I prefer a jacket and tie for dinner most nights and do not feel a need to change prior to attending a show or evening activities.
 
I do oppose cruise wear being reduced to the least common denominator, or dumbed down to the Walmart standard.

It seems that some equate nice dress with being uncomfortable, which does not have to be the case. While I’m not opposed to something less than formal wear, I prefer a jacket and tie for dinner most nights and do not feel a need to change prior to attending a show or evening activities.
 
I do oppose cruise wear being reduced to the least common denominator, or dumbed down to the Walmart standard.

We've cruised Independence of the Seas twice out of Port Everglades; once on an 8 night and the other on a 6 night. Both were great experiences and I can't knock the ship or either itinerary for any reason. The ship was in good condition and the crew treated us very well both times.
 
Our most recent cruise was a 7 nighter on Freedom Of Seas out of Port Canaveral going to the Western Caribbean. Along with Canaveral being a closer drive, because of our two young grandsons, the availability of the Dreamworks Experience was a huge draw. With Port Canaveral being a closer drive, and the availability of the Dreamworks Experience, we have scheduled two additonal cruises from Port Canaveral. We will be on FOS for the Western Caribbean again next fall and on Oasis of the Seas in early 2017.
 
With FOS going south and Oasis moving north in November 2016, I suspect we will begin talking about Oasis much more than Freedom. 
 
The other nice benefit of crusing from Port Canaveral is the beautiful and wonderfully efficient new cruise terminal.

To expand on the tipping ...
 
It sounds like your gratuities are prepaid for your waiters and cabin attendant (that's your $72), you may tip them additionally if you wish but it is not required.
 
For any drinks/food that you buy on board you will automatically be charged a gratuity of 18%, there will also be a line on the receipt marked tip where you can fill in additional tips if you wish, again the 18% is automatic and cannot be changed, you may tip additional amounts if you wish. Some people indicate tipping an extra $1 gives them better repeat service, others that it has no impact, your choice as to whether you want to / need to.
 
As Doc indicated there is a mix of pay and free venues for food/snacks.
 
The Café Promenade and Sorrentos are free and are really more walk by and pick something up than sit down and eat a meal restaurants. They do not have table service and have a limited number of small tables.
 
The Windjammer buffet is also free but is only open for specific hours of the day (think 6-10 for breakfast, 11-3 for lunch, 6-11 for dinner ... times vary by ship/day but something along those lines). The Windjammer is self-serve but has a lot more tables as it is intended for sit down meals.
 
Main Dining Room is open for breakfast and sometimes lunch, in both cases it is free and it is open for a block of hours come when you want and you will be seated at the next available table. For Dinner you will either have an assigned table and time (Traditional Dining) or if you have My Time Dining then you can choose to show up when you wish or make reservations, your choice. MDR for dinner is free but there can be additional "upcharge" items available, clearly marked on the menu.
 
I believe Independence has the Jade section of the Windjammer that has a selection of free premade Sushi, but as a non-Sushi person, I wont swear to it.
 
Cupcake Cupboard is an additional charge and I think you have to make a reservation, on the couple of occasions that I have walked by it seemed to be full and turning away "walk ups".
 
Pretty sure Indy has a Johnny Rockets, additional minor fee for a better burger experience than the free ones at the Windjammer.
 
Chops Grille is a staple, decent steakhouse for an additional per person fee, I used to highly recommend it but the price has gone up, the experience has come down and I no longer recommend it unless you are in the mood for something more.
 
Cant recall whether Indy has Portofinos or the other Italian restaurant but it should have one or the other, never tried either one so I cant comment from personal experience but again an upcharge per person to eat there.
 
For Chops and whichever Italian restaurant reservations are available and are probably a good idea if you really want to visit one or the other.

I feel like the Freedom of the Seas continually comes up in Podcast and comments as being a special ship... am I crazy or is it regarded as such?
 
I am looking for future bookings and was thinking of giving this ship a try.
 
Thanks,
 
Mike_

Great story of the kind of guest service we've come to expect and enjoy about cruising with RC!