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Navigating Back-to-Back: Sept 7th-12th &Sept 12th-15th, 2022


Ampurp85

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So I did talk mad crap about Hooked as I'm not big on seafood. First the restaurant is cute, it's the best decor I've seen on this ship. The waiters wear suspenders and look casual cute. I have had shrimp cocktail as an app, every night. I got the turf and turf, which subs a grilled chicken breast for the lobster tail. The steak was at least five times better than Chops.  Seasoned and cooked perfectly. Thr chicken was juicy and also flavorful. The sides were a meh, except the fries which were perfect. The coleslaw was fresh and crunchy but lacked flavor. The corn was so mushy.....I didn't know corn on the cob could be that way. I would go back with someone who loves seafood as I left full.

Side note. ...

Normally the piano player in Schooner's is great, sometimes even amazing. This guy is more like "I get paid either way." He isn't in key, plays what he wants even though he asks for request, and likes to talk about himself more than sing or play. Hooked is right there and every time the door opened all we heard was abrupt singing or chatty McChatterton. After dinner I went on deck 7 and watched the 70s discovery party and laughed off the food. 

Stray observations :

So far every speciality dinner/lunch we have seen the family who changed the diaper of their baby in Jamie's. The baby is under a year and cries and screams. It is disruptive. They also make the staff do a lot. In Hooked they had the staff remove the lobster and oysters from the shell, while one person walked around the restaurant entertaining the baby. 

Lots of loose people, in risqué outfits. Lots of children and teenagers, more than the last sailing which actually included a weekend.....??????

Saw a man in a stuffed speedo....I will just leave that here.

There is a large number of RCG crew on this sailing. Some are from Celebrity others are entertainers. They have on nametags but are drinking, gambling etc. 

I got no drink package and between my diamond drinks and prime drinks, I haven't needed it. I was 3/4 on diamond both nights because of prime. My cooler still has 8 bottles of water and 3 coke zeros and tonight is last of cruise. 

I used my diamond internet the first night and my prime 30% for other nights. The surf internet is bad, the whole first day I had issues. Then I got surf and stream and was back in business. It was $25.98 each day.

 

Last sea day.

I got even less sleep than usual. The kids were in bed when I got back to my room but exactly at 5am they were a terror. So I showered and hit the diamond lounge around 7:45. No one was in there so I chatted with Francisco until another woman came in. She was insistent that she be allowed in the lounge, why was the door locked....blah blah. Francisco explained about it being diamond and above. She didn't know her teir, she was only platinum, but walked around and got herself coffee. 

Another woman came in to complain about the staff. It was her son's birthday and she requested cake and a candle, through her TA before the cruise, and also at dinner. The staff told her they didn't do that and argued with her. She never felt so disrespected and Francisco is the only nice crew member she has met.....on this entire cruise. I enjoyed my lite breakfast and left.

I went to the casino to play half of what I had allotted. I played 25min on one machine but didn't do well. On the search for a better machine I met Mary who was playing her husband card to get him prime. She made prime on her very first RCG cruise in June. Her and her husband were RV'ers but just sold theirs to live on cruise ships full time. They currently have 17 cruises booked between now and April 2023. Only 4 of them are paid, all the rest are casino comps. She said her budget is $500 a day for the casino. Thats my entire budget for a sailing under five nights. They were on the last sailing and come back after the charter. I chatted with her while she played. She is booked on 6 different lines for the cruises; she has 2 transatlantic cruises and a Panama canal which are all above ten nights. Must ne nice to not only be retired but live close to a port.

After a while the casino started to get busy and smoky. So I went back to my room to answer emails and pre-pack. Royal offers a shuttle to the airport for $35pp but it leaves at 8am. I would rather eat a leisurely breakfast and get a Lyft after 9 or 10. Lunch is at Izumi and dinner is at Jamie's. I think I don't want Jamie's and might do Playmakers instead. 

 

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I am going to talk about disembarkment and then finish the last night of the cruise. 

This was the worst. Speaking as someone who wasn't in a rush. I woke up at 7am did all the last min stuff in preparation of being one of the last in the MDR for breakfast, because my flight was so late. Well even though we made it around 6:30ish. They didn't clear the ship until close to 8am. So there was no space in the MDR for breakfast.  I  knew I had a long wait and wanted to be full, so I went up to the WJ. There were actually tables.

I got breakfast around 8:15 and that is when they called tags 1-25. At a little after 9am they made a call that everyone who wasn't a consecutive cruisers should be heading off the ship. I waited 15min and made my way to deck 4. The line was ridiculous. They really wanted people off because incoming guest were already waiting. I got in long line which snaked all the way around MDR 4. That line took 15min just to get our seapass card scanned. Every announcement said to have documentation ready but everyone was brand new. As of they had just been born. 

Once I had my seapass card scanned it was swift moving to the escalator as lots of people were waiting on the elevators. That came to a screeching halt when I made it to passport control. Again people were brand new.  It was one long line that eventually branched off to passport versus everything else. I was shocked at how few people used passports on this sailing.  So it was roughly 47min in total to get from deck 4 to outside the terminal. 

It was a little after 10 but so many people were already lined up and being dropped off for the chartered sailing. Lots of guys selling airport transportation, guy said it was $95 but he would give me discount at $45. I have Lyft Pink and got one for $35, $42 with tip. My driver was friendly and we had a good chat. I was at airport around 11:30 and at my gate at 11:39 thanks to TSA precheck. 

So I don't suggest any flights before noon in LA because according to crew they have delayed disembarkment more than once a month.

 

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Last sea day....

Lunch was at Izumi. On Nav it is located on deck 14 by the escape room, Viking lounge and suite lounge. The space it seems bigger and more inviting,  maybe because they don't have hibachi tables. Lunch was not full up, they acted like it was but it was maybe 5 or 6 parties.  The server asked if we wanted to do prefix or a la carte. Prefix is the way to go as if you do the $35 you don't get as much. I got 2 bowls; udon with chicken and the beef teriyaki. Plus the chicken kaarage as my app, mochi balls were going to be for dessert. I ordered 2 Japanese strawberry with my diamond drink and was only charged for 1. I got the mochi balls but they were melted and pretty much inedible. 

The one difference with the prefix is apps are cut in half. Which is fine because with prefix it is 1 small plate, 2 large and a dessert. I had 4 pieces of the chicken thighs for my app. In the tempura app it was 3 veggies and 2 shrimp. I also believe it was like 4-5 gyoza. Technically my total was like $50. It was my first time trying the udon noodles and they were so good. I left lunch satisfied but not overly full. 

My new cruise friends had done the ship tour and needed to head back the room. We made plans to meet at Schooners in 20ish minutes but I got distracted.  I met them more than an hour later and general knowledge trivia was getting ready to happen.  We got a 13 out of 15, we would have gotten a 14 if they listened to me about China and KFCs. We chatted and people watched until dinner. 

I really wanted Playmakers wings, but one wanted to try a particular pasta at Jamie's.  We had a very lite dinner, garlic bread and Ceasars salad for me, and no dessert. Our service at lunch on embarkation day was miles better. We went back to Schooners because they loved a couple of bartenders there. A few hours later we hit Playmakers. It was just after 11pm and the 80s party had just ended. It took awhile for staff to clean us a table. Then we waited a while for service.

I don't know if it had been a madhouse during the 80s party but nobody came and acknowledged us for a good while. A server actually came to remove the connect four game and the was like "oh you guys wanna order?" He tried to make our food to go by saying "to go" after everything we ordered. But he got it after awhile.

The food came out hot and fast. However not only did they still not have burgers but no campfire cookie either. We "settled" on the sundae.....which was ridiculous. I let them keep the souvenir helmet as I will be on Odyssey in November. They prefer the smaller ships so who knows if they will get to another Playmakers.

It was a little close to 1am when I went back to room. Hallway smelled so bad and was full of dishes and people's stomach.  Hated to see crew members on knees cleaning up like that. 

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This is a bunch of randomness....

I will not sail out of LA again,  nor will I do sailings under 5N. The clientele is not for me.

Tons of banana hammocks and thongs. Several women had see-through or unsupported bras/tops....nope those can't be tops. So many busty women in strips of fabric shocked when they "fall" out or have to keep adjusting. Lots of men in heels that I was afraid for because they were drunk and unable to maintain balance. Men in drag who don't have the right friends because they often had the wrong makeup for their skin tone.

Lots of bloggers who had fifty eleven wardrobe changes. They needed to take a pic of this or film that. "Ugh get out the shot even though you were there first." Lots of people smoking inside bars either by vape or actual cigarettes. 

The family that changed the baby's diaper in Jamie's followed us to almost every restaurant.  They fed, changed and just did random things with the baby until the wee hours.  So many babies and children out past midnight and it blew my mind. Five year olds playing pool in Playmakers that shoot those hard billiard balls across the room, because they have no idea what they are doing. Also no concept of the pool stick as it almost takes your eye out while they root around for the ball. 

Lots of assault in a sense. I believe on the first sailing a couple went to jail for fighting in the MDR and the staff saw them physically get into. Couples arguing random places and shouting. Drunks getting overly animated and scaring others.

Last is the full circle story.

As stated I love to people watch.  There was a ....I guess handsome in a basic way......guy who was dressed like an airline pilot. Nice dress shoes, white crisp shirt, dark slacks and what looked like a cashmere sport coat. He always had on sunglasses and screamed douche because he liked to do the model walk. That is......a long strut and the comically animated removal of his sunglasses. I had seen him do this several times around the ship and he always inserted a dirty joke into my conversations.  I was never talking to him. But I would smile or laugh so he would do his model exit. 

The last night he comes up to our table in Schooner's, shook his hair in a very Justin Bieber way, removed said sunglasses with all the flamboyance of a twink in a Gucci fashion show and said. " Ugh I can finally take these off. This is the only place that doesn't give me a raging migraine. " He pleated his pants to sit at the bar and then just inserted himself in our conversation with innuendo. We were talking about how dolphins will run up on you but sea loins will just play around you. He then took his jacket off, slung it over his shoulder and walked off, putting his sunglasses in as he strode up the steps.

Well 10min pass by and he goes "I found my mother, she is passed out in a chair after taking a Valium." We laughed so hard because I think he was narcissistic enough to believe we were wondering were he went. Where this story takes an interesting turn is his mother was the lady I had met earlier in the diamond lounge. 

This lady told me she was a former hard-core drug user and cruising changed her life. She had been clean and sober almost 15 years. She was upset they wouldn't do cake and a candle for her son in the MDR. She said all the crew sucked except for the diamond concierge Francisco. I thought she was clearly on something in the lounge but when I saw her later.....she was slurring her words. It was an odd juxtaposition she looked like she lived under a freeway and he was crisp to the letter.  I saw him later on my way to the room and he was desperate for a woman to come back to his room as it was his birthday on this sailing. He was telling all the women, his mom was dead to the world. I don't know what was going on with people but I side eye them short cruises now. 

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4 hours ago, DDaley said:

So did you enjoy yourself? Seems like a no after reading this blog but hopefully it wasn't so bad. 

My new cruise friends were great, crew were great. As a people watch, as far as entertainment goes, it was good. Shockingly I had a better time on the 3N cruise. 

But on whole, the people made this probably the worst one I have been on. I cruise to relax and gamble. The only way I could relax would have been by staying in my room, but there was screaming children and adults in the cabins around me. The nonsmoking section was a measly two rows of machines and people were not only smoking/vaping there but also at Schooner's next to it. A little smoke doesn't bother me but directly blowing smoke in my face messes with my sinuses and gives me headaches. 

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3 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

My new cruise friends were great, crew were great. As a people watch, as far as entertainment goes, it was good. Shockingly I had a better time on the 3N cruise. 

But on whole, the people made this probably the worst one I have been on. I cruise to relax and gamble. The only way I could relax would have been by staying in my room, but there was screaming children and adults in the cabins around me. The nonsmoking section was a measly two rows of machines and people were not only smoking/vaping there but also at Schooner's next to it. A little smoke doesn't bother me but directly blowing smoke in my face messes with my sinuses and gives me headaches. 

I am happy to hear about the crew! I will be glad to people watch the raucous LA crowd next month (hopefully we'll encounter less vomit) and definitely will remember to bring a mask when we stop in the casino, then I can filter a little of it. 

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