Lovetocruise2002

Woohoo!! Deck 17!! That was the room we had but on Harmony.

6 minutes ago, Kenton Smith said:

That's great and I will use that for our 7-day cruise in May 2020.  They say it's not available for cruises less than 7 days.

Yes. Only for 7 night and longer sailings.

47 minutes ago, sk8erguy1978 said:

 

I've only experienced CK on Anthem and was GS, my Oasis class days was back in 2010 and 2012 on Oasis and didn't sail a suite. I am surprised they don't activate the card for dinner hours so you can enter, see when (if at all) they can seat you for dinner, it's totally possible. (It is card access correct?) 

It’s card access but JS cards have no access. Someone would have to open the door for you. The hostess podium is inside so it makes it pretty awkward.

Just now, twangster said:

More cruises!

I knew that was the answer! 

Meet & Mingle is run through Royal Caribbean.  You register through them.  Here's the link:

https://secure.royalcaribbean.com/ccEntry.do

3 hours ago, Matt said:

As it stands now, I would be surprised if the cruise actually occurs given the path of the storm and that we would be in or around the Bahamas/Florida right when the storm is scheduled to enter the area.

Fingers crossed for what JVF is hoping for...that it crosses Hispaniola and loses some steam.

3 hours ago, twangster said:

Hoping mine doesn't cancel, it would seriously mess up my crystal block strategy

#poorpoorBot

I have no doubt that you have a back up plan for the block. lol

3 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

I personally find it distasteful to beg to be allowed into the CK. Half the time you have to bang at the door to even be let in.  No thanks.  

^^^ I could not agree more with this.  I also hated doing this.  Anthem does it better where the podium is outside of CK and you don't feel like a second class citizen.

5 hours ago, AshleyDillo said:

Who are you?!?!?! 

3 hours ago, twangster said:

No CK.  She's not herself.

#DiscombobulatedBot

LOL!!!  Exactly...no CK.  I have not a care what I eat! 

Truthfully, if we take this cruise, each port is an early start and we'll likely be out all day (7-8 hours out) since we've ever visit Eastern Canada or New England.  Hubby and I are guessing that we will be wiped out by dinner time and WJ might just be most convenient. 

1 hour ago, Pima1988 said:

Off topic, but since you are going on Adventure for the 1st time in eons.  I would try to find out which night the 70's night is.  I would than go to Izumi that night and ask for a table on the Promenade if you are okay with a late seating  Time it so you can get a good spot.

Great tip!  With your dining package, was Izumi covered for up to $35pp?

9 minutes ago, Traveler said:

you can see our lovely boat (yes a bout , I decided to myself  that in  RCL only Voyeger and above will be called  ships )

^^^^ HAHAHA!  This cracks me up! Love it!

Thanks for the suggestions @Pima1988. That was all along the lines of what I was thinking. I sort of just needed someone else to verify it.

To be honest, that itinerary is so port intensive, we might even just do WJ for dinner some nights.  I was leaning towards the UDP not being worth it.

Last question...does Adventure’s Izumi have the noodle soups and stir fry noodles? Or is it just sushi?

6 hours ago, 12thman said:

How is lobster served in MDR? Thought it was served the same since they need to make such large quantities?

Like this:

Taken from Royal Caribbean Dining FB page. Not my photo.  

Here’s the thing though, if you don’t prefer it cooked a certain way in CK, just let them know and they can likely do it differently. That is the great thing about CK, they operate on a much smaller scale compared to the MDR so changing things up is not as big of a deal for them. 

54 minutes ago, Pima1988 said:

If I recall NE is a 5 night cruise.  If it were me,  I would buy a 3 night + Chefs table, and than just go to the MDR for the formal night.   If I am remembering correctly when we did the NE (Anthem) we only had 1 sea day.  We enjoy the MDR on sea days for lunch because we are fans of their tutti salad.    If that is the case than I don't think the UDP is worth it.

Sorry, I should have specified.  It’s a 9 night sailing.

We stayed in a cabin just like this on Independence. You are correct in that the configurations of the two on deck 8 are different than the rest. Way better IMO.  There is a lot of space in this cabin and great separation from the kids, however, I would never book this cabin again. The motion was considerably much more than any other cruise that we have been on and there is a lot of noise when the ship docks.

More details here: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/10227-“into-the-unknown”-…-independence-ots-holiday-sailing-–-12292018-132019/

20 minutes ago, Hoski said:

It was poached and had a nasty sauce on it.

I have never been to the CK on Allure so I cannot say for sure but I think that the sauce is a butter sauce.  At least the lobsters that I have had in CK had it. It threw me off the first time because it had a thicker consistency than butter. I did not mind it, Hubby did not like it.  Taste is totally subjective. 

@MelissaM and @Pima1988 really enjoyed reading your thoughts regarding the dining on Adventure. We have not sailed her since our very first cruise  back in 2002 and next July, we are most likely coming full circle back to her for a 9 night Canada/NE cruise. I am positive that she is a very different ship from what we remember. 

My question for both of you, or anyone else that has sailed Adventure recently, is do you think the UDP would be worth it seeing that there are not too many specialty options on board?  Or would I be better off grabbing a 3 or 5 night package? 

I am sure @twangster must have one in his vault 

James Van Fleet just shared this on social media. This is being played on board the ships. 

33 minutes ago, Andrew72681 said:

I should get a good feeling when I’m on Oasis in March before going back on in November. @Matt will get to see it at its shiniest this coming November. 

You’re on Oasis in March?? When? I am on March 15, 2020.

2 minutes ago, BB1 said:

I couldn't tell you but if you go to the app and go to Coastal Kitchen,  you can check the menus.

Sorry, I thought you were on board at the moment and talked to someone about that.  I forgot that the app has the menus.

1 minute ago, bhageerah said:

Cauliflower rice was AMAZING! 

I know right?!!!  I love that dish.  Next time ask them to toss grilled chicken and shrimp into it.  It's even better that way!

3 minutes ago, BB1 said:

The definitive answer on Allure, filet is night 7

Curious minds want to know if you can find out...Why does Allure do a completely different rotation than the rest of the fleet?

14 minutes ago, Rob&Ana said:

Congratulations it really is the best perk Royal offers in my opinion....access to the Diamond Lounge.

^^^+1

To me, the Diamond Lounge is like a refuge from the chaos.

Just now, Ala_Paul said:

I'm interested in Royal allowing you to put a 5th person in the room if they're under 3. 

I don't know about the JS but I have heard of one case where they allowed this for a Star Loft suite.  The child was under 2 at the time of sailing.  Obviously, it also depends on if the ship has maxed out on it's life boat capacity or not.

14 minutes ago, sk8erguy1978 said:

Currently in a JR on Harmony for December 2020 and I just cannot pull the trigger on Grand Suite, it's a 2K jump. That's the price of another cruise (in a balcony stateroom) we might take with friends this time next year! 

Same, it's about 2K jump on my Harmony cruise and while it's comparable to the Grand Suite on a per day basis as my upcoming Anthem sailing, it's easier on Anthem due to 5 vs 7 days. As of right now, the main reason for the JR on Harmony December 2020 has zero to do with CK, double points or any thing else. Just want an extra large balcony room to relax for my wife's - ummm 29th - birthday. 

Think this is why Matt has said in his podcasts a Jr Suite shouldn't even be in the Suite category but just an extra large balcony cabin.

I agree.  A JS is basically just a larger balcony cabin with a little extra space and double points.  I think that the $1500-2000 difference between the JS and the GS is pretty typical from the prices that I have looked at.  It was about that for Symphony as well.  Sometimes, closer to sailing you get lucky and the price gap becomes less.  That is usually when we make the jump.  What it really comes down to is that we are all different types of cruisers.  Only you can decide what amount is worth the jump.  It's hard to quantify because each person values different things while cruising.  The trick is to know what you like and go from there.

3 hours ago, darketower said:

I didn’t want to say anything initially for fear of tainting your own impression. While we liked the ship, we were surprised at how it seemed “old” even though it was just amped. I came to the conclusion the Amped was more for the pool/slides and restaurant changes vs interiors. The carpeting looked worn and stained in numerous areas. It was nice and we enjoyed our cruise, we just had higher expectations. 

2 minutes ago, Andrew72681 said:

We had done it back in May as well, and a lot of the refurbishments are already showing their age just a couple of months in. 

Really hoping that this won't be the case with Oasis as well....

Another solution...Our kids know that it is really hard for Santa and the Tooth Fairy to visit them in the middle of the ocean.  

Jokes aside, we celebrated our daughter's bday last year on Mariner.  We brought everything, presents, decorations, etc.  They did not say anything.