CGTLH

From my photo archive of randomness...

On land tours it will start in either Anchorage or Fairbanks. If it is a precruise one starting in Anchorage you'll end up looping back to Anchorage before heading to Seward for the cruise. Post cruise, they will take you to Anchorage for the land part and loop back to Anchorage to head back home.

Any of the ones that cover Fairbanks, more than likely it will be the start (precruise) or end (postcruise) of the land tour. Meaning you'll fly in or out of Fairbanks.

When I did Alaska in 2014 the one I did was the 8B cruisetour. Flew in to Fairbanks day 1 of the tour and essentialmy transported to city to city before finally starting the cruise.

4 hours ago, RestingBirds said:

I'll agree as far as the wings.  RC needs some good wings, traditional and boneless.  That would be a good addition to the midnight snack list.

Wings from room service on Harmony weren't too bad.

Think I recall seeing podium for Sky, Star, Pinnacle card holders for MTD. You would still have a wait. Just not have to wait in line to wait (hope you understand what I ment).

Good example for all the color coding from Oasis.

Just saw the description in my Anthem booking (cost $345). Venture to say it is like a cabana where it is one set cost no matter how many.

They also had private lesson version for $552 and a group lesson for $69 a person.

Love waiting in line? Neither do we! Get more time on the water with an exclusive private session. Only Royal Caribbean lets you discover the thrill of surfing on our 40-foot-long wave simulator while at sea. Reserve the FlowRider for your family, friends (even yourself!), and learn how to maneuver with a boogie board, or stand up and hang ten . Enjoy a full hour of no lines or wait while you master the basics, perfect your form or pick up a few fun tricks.

*This is a full venue buyout with instructor supervision only. Participant must know how to load themselves on to the FlowRider

Just now, BrianAlt said:

In my experience, while most of the food is the same (plus a few items) and it LOOKS the same, it actually tastes better.

My feelings exactly

Yeah, the buffet isn't a huge upgrade. Still has the same hamburgers and hot dogs the other stations have. But the stand out items were things like shrimp/seafood skewers, grilled meat (pork and beef/steak), think I've seen lamb chops.

Not that it matters to me, during the first wave at lunch they were handing out real plates and flatware.

Did Alaska in 2014, so this information might be a we bit out of date.

The agenda showed us leaving Anchorage at 2pm. Due to some eagerness we requested to opt out of the final activities the final day (cruise embarkation day). Wound up taking the early morning, standard run, of the train to Seward.

Ultimately, think the bus ride would have been in the range of two and a half hours.

In the Suite Lounge during the day you can get soda, beer, wine, and water. During the evening cocktail hour they add to the mix the standard spirits (vodka, rum, tequila, gin, etc...) Keep in mind the bar in the Suite Lounge is unable to do frozen/blender drinks.

Seating: Entire rows were reserved, released about 5-10 minutes before the show started.

You don't need to make reservations for any show other than the Comedy show.

Main theater in May is was the front row in the upper level. From what I recall the seats were not all that great. There was a railing right at eye level.

Aqua Theater, not the very front. Maybe two or three rows from the back. I thought the seats were ideal.

Studio B (ice rink), First few row on the "narrow" side of the rink. Once again, these seat were ideal for viewing.

Comedy Club, no reserved seating for Sky class.

Departure:

In May they had three times to be escorted off. Meet in the Suite Lounge, optional breakfast in Coastal Kitchen. Once given the OK, we were escorted to the Bionic Bar. Once the entire group was there, we were escorted off and bypassed the lines to the luggage pickup area. One thing, you'll be using an escalator so keep that in mind. Once your luggage was claimed, dedicated lines for suite guests. However, I think they were sharing them with the Mobile Passport folks.

Only major things I can think of...

Upgraded lunch buffet. No need to carry off/back a towel. Beach isn't as croweded. (Maybe perk) no loud obnoxious drink sales [On Oasis by Columbus cove they had a vehicle playing loud music going around selling coconut drinks]. A bar is very close by.

Another sign of a frequent nerd. You plan cruises and cabins based on when you hit crystal block milestones.

Running into that right now. Based on current bookings, if I get more than 13 extra points I won't get a Harmony block in May. That is limiting any other unexpected cruises. Hopefully on the Symphony group cruise as a family we'll have all four sisters.

Funny the stress caused by a paper weight.

Best thing and Matt has said it well. Browse Royal's site in whatever your browser calls it's privacy mode. This essentially gives the browser and site a clean canvas to work with.

19 minutes ago, DocLC said:

I've only seen it available on Royal Caribbean ships in Europe and only at a couple of bars sporadically. They do have it in the Coke Freestyle machines, however. 

Seems to be very elusive. Harmony had it in May, so did Oasis December and January.

Same thing, some bars had it others didn't.

Know the Freestyle machine would have it. Just like to stock up on cans the first few nights using my vouchers.

Got one request if you don't mind. Would you confirm if they have canned Coke Zero on board.

Thanks

Yeah, being on Majesty was some what different than even than Vision.

Strange being on such a small ship after doing Freedom so many time. Weird walking from one end to the other without realizing it. One odd thing was deck 6 as a tween deck. Being on one end and going from deck 5 to 7. Yeah, was fun having a room on that deck.

With so few bars and lounges you had plenty of chances to see others. As already stated, the crew was so friendly. Would love to sail one her again, but I keep one getting lured back over to the biggies.

1 hour ago, Gears said:

You're D+...and still have your first sea pass card stashed in your night table drawer.

I have all mine on a key ring

Deck 5, either next to the Bionic Bar or Sorrentos.

Just depends on what ramp you go up.

In my case the Cruise was booked on own with transfer to TA just before final payment. Was a good thing cause she did a great job taking the time get me on Majesty about a week out. Plus I got some OBC credit from Royal. Left the same day, got back on day later.

Airfare was done on my own using credit card points. Painful thing was it would have been cheaper to book a new one way ticket vs change fee plus fare difference. I was worried about Royal denying the claim for not changing the ticket if I bought a new one way.

In the end I was out nothing, cost around $350 to change the flight. Kicks I submitted a claim to insurance. Got denied by the inital reviewer, when it went to the next step it was approved.

Looking back, the transfer to a TA was on a whim. In the end saved me frustration, but a big negative was she was never informed about the Empress fiasco. I was the one the broke the ice.

Last year when I had an airchange the reimbursement was a credit on my card used for cruise payment. The cancellation was around a month from sailing, so that might have been a factor. Don't recall if I submitted the paperwork before of after the cruise.

This section will be a few things, won't really know those things until I post.

Beverages/bar: Never has any issues getting a drink onboard. Then again as a disclaimer I never hung around the pool, so no clue how that service was. Windjammer has a full service bar, not necessarily a fully stocked one. Before any of the shows they were plenty of roaming servers. Not dining in the MDR, no clue about that service. Coastal Kitchen I'm sure our server would have gotten anything from the bar. Drinks at the speciality restaurant were quick. Threw a twist and Wonderland they could never get right, the Moscow Mule I feel in love with on Oasis. At Rising Tide no issue finding a seat. Bionic Bar was a fun novelty that made horrid martinis (who muddles lime or lemon in one). But was fun making augmentation for my iced Americano (three parts vodka, one part Kalua, ice, and strained). Cafe Promenade had a poor flow, complementary stuff prior to the register to order something. The major complaint I have was the lack of the "blue menu", the new one that was released back in January. I'm the kind of person that looks to browse a menu for ideas. Otherwise I'll end up seeking what I think that bar can do. Most of the time it wound up being a spirit on the rocks, most commonly Bourbon. Don't know why I have a kick for it now. Sure I had copies of the new menu handy but I really don't feel like pulling out my phone all the time to browse them. Plus I didn't want to play the game of trying to explain something I have no idea how to make. Heck I crack when trying to explain what an espresso martini was. Had no clue off the top of my head what the ratios were.

Room: As previously mentioned I was in a L1 Crown Loft Suite 1754 (did a scope, check my signature for my Periscope account). Swear I've become spoiled by them. Had originally a Grand Suite booked, did get the chance to see one. The Lofts are in a great central location, quiet hallway. The loft is tended to by a team of two loft attendants. They keep every thing neat and tidy. Only one minor issue, one night they forgot to make the sofa bed. Next day they did apologise and said I could have called. Simple response, I wasn't going to bug them at 1 in the morning. I never said a word to them, they must have put two and two together when they saw the cushions piled up in the chair. Getting to some more details, in the first level bathroom is a shower. The second level has a tub. To me the shower felt like it was larger that those in a standard room. Plenty of room to keep things, ton of drawer space, plus the dining table downstairs was decent size.

Boarding/check in: Once the security line opened the check in process was quick. I had only registered a credit card, no photo taken in advance. Photo process might have delayed thing about 30 second (yes, I know it adds up when factoring in thousands). The one thing that speeds up the process is not being given you SeaPass card at check in. Remember to keep your stamped SetSail pass out, this is checked prior to heading upstairs. When boarding they need to scan the  barcode at the bottom. Once onboard I would say most places asked for the room number when getting a beverage (same thing later in the cruise when getting a tub beverage in Windjammer).

Slides and "waiver" activities: Never had a chance to do the slides. Nor did I do the rock wall, zip line, or Flow Rider. Still trying to figure out what the heck I did do that killed all my time.

Final Thoughts: To say I had great time is a given. I really never ran in to any major faults that put a hamper on my enjoyment. Ran in to only two issues, both taken care of quickly. First was trying to get an additional discount on my beverage package. Speaking with four people, one being a bar manager, I was told I'd get a 10% OBC of what I paid for the package. Come to find out I was charged again for the package with a discount from the onboard rate. After speaking the next day with the concierge in the Suite Lounge, Raj, one phone call the extra and online pacakges were refunded and purchases was the discounted onboard price. For those wondering, pre cruise was $48 and onboard was $61 per person per day and add 18% for the gratuity. For the record, the Diamond Plus benefits sheet had no mention of 30% off. The person outside of the pub knew about it, someone at Boleros was clue less.

Other than that, not much more stood out as an issue. I'm sure I noticed some cutbacks in the back of my head, but never really bothered me.

On a scale of 10, this would have rated around an 8. Never felt I've had a 10 cruise. My Aslaksa tour then cruise would be a 9. For the 9, was more about the actual stops versus cruise/ship only.

So folks, that is it until Anthem at the end of August 2017. Thanks again for following along. Hope to see y'all on the Symphony group cruise in 2018.

I'm still around and get notices about new posts, so ask away. Also, the email account is still up if you have a question you would like to have answered off the record.

After some thought, and a nap, the next section will be main shows/entertainment.

Fine Line: Held in the Aqua Theater, still an amazement at sea. Amazing aerial work plus tightrope action. Didn't seem as repetitive as the other aqua shows. For those that like use if the trampoline, none that I recalled.

Headliner: Some comedic juggler, don't recall the name. Nothing memorable, seemed more talk than anything.

Comedy Show: Comedians were fine, once again don't recall their names. They were both fine, but not side splitting funny. The first one I want to recall he was on one of the Oasis sailings.

1887: That was an ice show? I mean that in a good way. So far the best ice show I've seen at sea. Wasn't repetitive in the sense of same routine with different props/settings. Another amazing thing was the use projectors to "hide" the ice making it more as part of the scene versus a surface. Other memorable parts was the bubble guy. Hard to explain, but was interesting.

Hideaway Heist: Fun, no reservations, show. For those that were missing trampoline action this is show. The high line wasn't used, but one just above the pool was used in the opening.

Columbus: Very energetic show, plenty of known songs. Silly at times. Ending was some what of a miss due to it feeling like it was an advertisement. Ship set piece is amazing, from what I recall it is three feet smaller than the Pinta.

Grease: Wasn't bad, but wasn't great either. Just seemed lacking for what ever reason. I mean I didn't hate it. For some reason it felt short. Guess I'm use to the other showe where an intermission occurred. Singing, acting, and dancing was fine. Now I will admit it was more of sea worthy show that Cats... At least Grease has some action and upbeat.

Street Parties: Had a 50s/60s and 90s street parties. For some reason they didn't catch and hold me within the first 5 minutes or so. On the 90s I had to leave right after it started for Columbus.

Bonus: Stow Away piano player, just loved the random popups. Saw from a distance him playing in the elevator. Did a scope of him playing outside of Cafe Promenade one night. Had to cut it short due to the Comedy Show. Not sure if the piano is his creation. Loved the popup props from the top. Also had a side drawer with treats for kids.

iSkate: No comment, didn't see it.

Quest: Hate to say it, missed it as well.

That is it for now. Will need some more thought for the next section. Not too sure what more needs to be covered. Not going to do a port segment, nothing was really done.

Been stewing the last few days on how to wrap this live thread up. Never really been a good closer at these things.

Only way I can think of is in the traditional sense of major areas frequently thought room.

Food, scallops: Just to get it off my chest, scallops. For some reason two of the three times I had scallops they have very little in the way of picked up flavor. First time was at 150, the broth they were was excellent. However, just alone it was just about flavorless. On the flip side they were not chewy lumps of rubber many times they end up as. Second was on Barefoot Beach in Labadee. In this case they were on a skewer with peppers and onions plus a shrimp. Once again, no picked up flavor and thankfully not a ball of rubber. Final time (the good time), was up in the Suite Lounge as one of the snacks. In this case they were bacon wrapped and tasted like they were sauteed in butter and garlic. Finally, flavor sucess!

Food, dinner: OK, now that my scallop rant is out of the way. Overall I thought the food onboard was fine. Could it have been better, sure. What I had had good flavor, outside of the scallops, and nothing to really argue about. In the case of desserts, in Coastal Kitchen it seemed the "chocolate mousse on top of a cake" was the same thing three nights. One case the plate did a better job melting butter versus in the potato. On appetizers that had some sort of citrus sauce it was a bit on the sour/tart side. In the previous cases this was in Coastal Kitchen. CP150, was excellent. Was offered a different entree in place of the scallops, just didn't feel like anything else. Wonderland, amazing. Left what to get in the hands of our server, only question was allergies and major dislikes. Looking back I think everything was the tamer things. Kicking myself not making it to dessert, was offered to come back another night. Just never had the chance to make it back. Solarium Bistro at dinner, will pass on it. Wasn't overly impressed like I was on Oasis. Apps were on the bland side and entrees were not as expected. Other four nights were in Coastal Kitchen as mentioned before.

Food, lunch: Did Windjammer twice for lunch, seemed a step up from other cruises. MDR twice, once buffet only other was a la carte. Buffet was a nice spread, one time was a stir fry station other was a pasta bar. The a la carte items weren't too bad. Lobster and seafood roll was not as expected. Pork Belly was very reminiscent of the one on Oasis. Chicken and waffles was something unexpected. Overall not bad. Plus the cakes where impressive visually and tasted want that bad. Finally, first day was Solarium Bistro. Empty, never was really crowded. Don't recall what they had, but it was better than dinner.

Food, breakfast: Did mini bites once, poached egg that was more along the lines of hard boiled in a ramekin (not complaining, love hard boiled eggs). Other time was room service made to order eggs. Bit of advice on the room service eggs. Two eggs come to an order, marking down two equals four total eggs. Delivery was right as requested time wise. Other than that, not much of a morning/breakfast person. Iced Americano for Cafe Promenade was usually my morning go-to.

Food, other: Did room service one other time, look back to my previous posts for review. Nutshell summary, fries and nachos not worth it. Burger was the best one I've had on a ship (including from JR on Freedom). Chicken quesadilla and wings were good as well. However, if I had to pay $8 out of pocket might have never done it in the first place. Same thing applied to room service for breakfast.

Added: Food, Labadee: Due to staying in a suite I was able access Barefoot Beach's buffet. Had the usual hotdogs and hamburgers. The previously mentioned shrimp and scallop skewer. Also had an herb chicken, some type of steak (think the sign said NY Strip, after it was changed from pork chops), lamb chops, bbq chicken, and rice and beans. Desserts were cookies, fruit, lemon pound cake, and some sort of it so chocolate cake. The lemon pound cake was good with a squeeze of lime on it, sure it would have been even better with a splash of run. I'm sure something was left off the list some where. Didn't go over to see what the other areas had. Real flatware and cloth napkins were used initially, then the plastic stuff was busted out. Windhammer style plates were offered the entire time. Overall I thought the quality and taste of everything was fine. As expected for an up scale beach spread.

Not sure what the next post will go over, need to gather my thoughts some more. Don't know why the food segment was so easy.

1 minute ago, Alan Ramos said:

I won't link any cards, we've got drinks package also we will get the 4 dinners,  and $300 to spend on board, 

Ins't necessary,

 

Thanks for your help! 

Sounds like you are set. Don't forget about the $13.50 or $16.50 person per day for gratuities, unless those are prepaid/included as well.

Your SeaPass card will be restricted to $500 USD in purchases. Until the card is either paid down or backed with a credit/debit card no other purchases can be made.