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3. 2. 1……Does a Mariner Wonder the Allure of Cruising 1/15/24-2/2/24


Ampurp85

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1 hour ago, OCSC Mike said:

but I also liked the pre-packaged to-go case with wraps

this was one of things that i missed most off symphony. on harmony and oasis, it’s still a “wait to be served” situation. and normally, i am ALL for that. less germs. 

but with the pre packaged items, it means (hopefully) less germs even though it is self service. 

also explaining to the crew that you want the tuna melt… NOT melted, is a fun way to confuse everyone behind the counter 😅😂

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10 minutes ago, asquared17 said:

this was one of things that i missed most off symphony. on harmony and oasis, it’s still a “wait to be served” situation.

Symphony is missing from my Oasis class bingo card so that was the first time I saw the pre-packaged stuff.

I just liked having a sealed container of non-dessert type items to toss in the cooler... as if I need more food in the cabin besides my gallon ziplocs of cookies and pastries and whatever else I've collected, lol.

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5 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

The crew is miserable. I have never, collectively,  seen so many unhappy crew members. They will sometimes smile when you interact nicely but for the most part they look like they are wishing for quick death. It's not noticeable to the newbies. But even my brother said they look unhappy.

This makes me so, so sad. They really just want to ensure you have a great experience - why does a great experience for some people mean treating others like 💩??? 🙁

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28 minutes ago, Cactus527 said:

This makes me so, so sad. They really just want to ensure you have a great experience - why does a great experience for some people mean treating others like 💩??? 🙁

Me too. Don't get me wrong, there are so many that really make the cruise. I just hate seeing the sad faces.

It really makes me wonder how the staff will handle the 4/3n sailings on the big ships.

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So we just sat for our Mason Jar dinner. The country band is playing, we can't talk because its loud and they keep sitting us in the front. While I wait on food, I will talk about Effectors 2.

Anyway when i booked it said 7pm. My app continued to say 7pm. But the signs and paper copy of the compass said 8pm. Most of the shows open 45min before. I was the first person there at 6:19. Several vintages came up and asked questions as a means to cut the line. They got in front of me. 🙄🙄

The show was better than part one. I felt like there was a better story and the voices and costumes were 500x better. Lume and crash continue to be the standouts.

I will say the theater was empty. Like it wasn't full to start and I would say 20% got up a few minutes into the show and left. I have a gripe but it will be written about later.

I stopped by Playmakers to bless our waitress and get a burger for the hotel tomorrow, utilizing my UDP to the fullest. The arcade games are indeed free because I played and lost horribly but Mario Kart cost.

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46 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

I stopped by Playmakers to bless our waitress and get a burger for the hotel tomorrow,

I was beginning to think my wife & I were the only ones who got burgers there. And well-played on the hotel takeout. If I had actual travel after my cruises I’d likely leave with more than a bag of cookies too.

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Just now, asquared17 said:

when you think of it, there’s really nothing stopping you though 😂 travel is a relative term 

The feeling & knowledge that I likely just gained like 10 lbs. in a week is a small deterrent… even though I know half of it will come off in a few days.

But you’re right… and we have come home with croissants from the CL too. 🤫 🤣

1 minute ago, asquared17 said:

is allure in FLL or MIA ?

PC. She’s doing all 3 PC ships… it’s like my dream S2S2S, lol.

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The country band was good. But imho Mason Jar dinner isn't as amazing as brunch.

They were out of oysters and green tomatoes. So my brother had fried tomatoes.

I got the crab beignet. I could have eaten them as a meal. I didn't eat the dip because of the mayo base, but man were they soft, pillowy bites of deliciousness.

I also tried the shrimp and grits. Oddly they put cornmeal in their grits and the sauce was garbage, my brother ate it instead. He had two orders of deviled eggs.

We both got the two meats and "fixins". His was memaws fried chicken in original and Nashville hot. We have had a different waiter each time, despite sitting on the same bench every time we came. This waiter tried to talk my brother out of this meal. Possibly because he thought he wasn't going to finish......also he had the blackened catfish too.

I got the brisket and ribs with mac and cheese, and greens. My brother got mashed potatoes and greens. The waiter didn't want him to add sides🤣🤣😂😂🤣.

So warning, the greens are old school southern style......just pure vinegar. I gave them to my brother. The brisket was tough but the ribs were actually really good. The mac was ookay.

We just got ice cream for dessert, listened to the band and them went back to the room around 9:30 to pack.

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It's disembarkation day.

I'm heading back to the same hotel and my brother is heading to the Airport to go home. He said he could have done with one more week 🤣😍.....or he should have come on the Allure sailing. But the bosses are ready for him to finish his project. With my casino work we scored a B2B2B on Freedom in May. He will bring his work with him then.

He is using GoPort to get to the airport and I am taking the hotel shuttle back. If I only have to pay $20 to check in early I will, otherwise I will just hang in the lobby until then. I will book the shuttle to the port for tomorrow as $8 is cheaper than rideshare.

This is the view.

Also that last picture was the cheeseburgers Majarie from Playmakers made me. I sat them in the fridge and I have my all day hotel food.

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26 minutes ago, Cactus527 said:

Freedom! I'm sailing on her in March with the spring break crowd. 🤢 I loved Independence, looking forward to this ship too. @Ampurp85 have you done Freedom before?

Yes, I am actually only missing Liberty to complete the class. I was last on Freedom in April 2023, I love her.

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I had a long post typed up but it disappeared.

Disembarkation was super smooth for us. We were the last ones on our side out of our room at 8:25, we caught an empty elevator to deck five. FYI we kept our bags, deck 5 was a congested mess of people just being lost. We walked off and never stopped walking until we got to the shuttle area. My shuttle to the hotel was there and so was a GoPort bus. My brother waited until my shuttle departed and then walked to check-in and get on the coach. He is such a sweet, wonderful brother 🥰. I caught the shuttle with a couple we rode down with. They weren't fans of Royal after this. This was their first time on Oasis class and their 4th cruise with RCG. They had a lot of issues, which I sort of had as well. I was at the Country Inn by 8:45 and it was a madhouse, no rooms were ready, so the kind girl let me enjoy breakfast, I had raisin brand because I was craving cereal. She said because it is Sunday everyone often checks out late so I will get a room after noon. 

Stray thoughts, observations, and shenanigans........

Once a day cleaning only works if the steward is thorough.  I don't think our room was vacuumed at all, in fact all he did was make the bed and refill towels. Yall know my brother can eat and this isn't his first rodeo. He would pile the plates and put the garbage in a plastic bag. This was not removed, neither was the actual trash, in fact he didn't come the first night and then didn't bother to empty the trash the next either. We had to pile it outside our door for the roaming cleaners to remove, we find this to be uncouth and trifling. 

I will edit this as my room is ready early.

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5 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

I had a long post typed up but it disappeared.

OMG I hate when this happens to me !

6 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

My brother waited until my shuttle departed and then walked to check-in and get on the coach. He is such a sweet, wonderful brother 🥰.

I love you two....what a wonderful thing to have a brother you are so close with.  I lost mine a few years ago...not that we were ever that close...but it's wonderful to see you two together.

7 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

Once a day cleaning only works if the steward is thorough.  I don't think our room was vacuumed at all, in fact all he did was make the bed and refill towels. Yall know my brother can eat and this isn't his first rodeo. He would pile the plates and put the garbage in a plastic bag. This was not removed, neither was the actual trash, in fact he didn't come the first night and then didn't bother to empty the trash the next either. We had to pile it outside our door for the roaming cleaners to remove, we find this to be uncouth and trifling. 

UGH

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Permit me to ask a question, please .

Whats your theory on why the crew looked miserable? You think it was just specific to y’all’s sailing or in general ? I sailed wonder last December ‘22 and they seemed no different than usual (always friendly ) I ask as my family and I will be back on her in march for spring break 

thank you 

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10 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

Once a day cleaning only works if the steward is thorough.  I don't think our room was vacuumed at all, in fact all he did was make the bed and refill towels. Yall know my brother can eat and this isn't his first rodeo. He would pile the plates and put the garbage in a plastic bag. This was not removed, neither was the actual trash, in fact he didn't come the first night and then didn't bother to empty the trash the next either. We had to pile it outside our door for the roaming cleaners to remove, we find this to be uncouth and trifling.

That's awful. My only experience with once/day (Allure in October) was great. Extra towels and ice every day per request and everything cleaned as you would expect. I'm going to assume this is a YMMV situation depending on attendant/ship/etc. Hopefully that's not my experience on Wonder given my multiple bookings and yours is better on Allure.

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34 minutes ago, GatorCruiser said:

Permit me to ask a question, please .

Whats your theory on why the crew looked miserable? You think it was just specific to y’all’s sailing or in general ? I sailed wonder last December ‘22 and they seemed no different than usual (always friendly ) I ask as my family and I will be back on her in march for spring break 

thank you 

I find in most cases the crew are always smiling, engaging, singing to themselves and chatting. This wasn't the case. Often times I would have to engage to see the smiles. I also think the constant berating from the guest on this sailing dampened their spirits. It probably wouldn't have been noticeable except I just came from Mariner and the crew were just happy on there. Plus, we had our core people (casino, Playmakers and WJ) and they commented a lot on how terrible some of the pax were on this sailing.

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38 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

That's awful. My only experience with once/day (Allure in October) was great. Extra towels and ice every day per request and everything cleaned as you would expect. I'm going to assume this is a YMMV situation depending on attendant/ship/etc. Hopefully that's not my experience on Wonder given my multiple bookings and yours is better on Allure.

I don't mind once a day. And we are pretty clean, I had once a day on Allure in Oct and it was fantastic. Even our once a day on Mariner was good. I think this one was hopefully and possibly a one off.

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23 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

I find in most cases the crew are always smiling, engaging, singing to themselves and chatting. This wasn't the case. Often times I would have to engage to see the smiles. I also think the constant berating from the guest on this sailing dampened their spirits. It probably wouldn't have been noticeable except I just came from Mariner and the crew were just happy on there. Plus, we had our core people (casino, Playmakers and WJ) and they commented a lot on how terrible some of the pax were on this sailing.

Thank you for your thoughtful response. 

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Stray thoughts, observations, and shenanigans........ continues

Re: my sick feeling. I am pretty sure the lack of vacuuming and smoke from the casino was my issue. I cleared right up when I got to the hotel

This was the first time I had to get new seapass cards. I got caught up and only earned my brother 2100 points on the Allure cruise, those vintages threw me off, so I earned his remaining points on Mariner. He had a sticker to begin on Wonder. He was so upset that he needed to get another prime sticker, but I pointed to his card that said prime and he was shocked 🤣🤣. The casino points posted 3 days after the sailing was over and the C&A point exactly on Friday. Guest services were always empty when at port and packed on sea days and port evenings. They also have an "ask" button the app where you can contact guest services. But I heard it doesn't work well. 

All of the events like 70's night, parades, etc. were heavily populated. It rained quite a bit, so people were always maxxing out trivia and scavenger hunts, even ice skating was popping. It seems like the aqua show never had a full iteration. On day 7 there was a 5:45pm there was an exhibition with the incoming cast. But rain or wind caused cancellations, reschedules or abbreviation.

Also, people came to slay for formal and dress your best night.

We did not step foot in the MDR. MTD was on deck 4 of this ship and sometimes the line would be at the casino doors. Hopefully the food was good. The tables at the WJ are butt to butt imho. 

Wonder has doors that keep the casino smoke in... for the most part and an escalator on deck two that deposits returning port guest on deck 3. 

They were really pushing the surveys in specialty dinning. They kept saying give them 10s but put negative reviews in the comment section 🙄🤨.

Now on to the shenanigans

We have established my brother is tall and to some a looker. ........He was being solicited by cast members, staff and pax. This was either at the gym or WJ. On rare occasions I would go with him to the WJ and get liquids. There was a vintage couple of besties interested in him. When I tell you these ladies turned their chairs to stare daggers of death in me, it was hilarious. I later saw them in the casino, and they told me I better hold on tight because someone would steal my man with the quickness. This was day 5, my brother said when he went to the WJ on day 6th they hunted him down and said they saved him a seat.

He said he would go for something light and then a cast member would sit next to him, and he would have a crowd chatting it up. Because they knew he would bring in the "good-looking" folks, he said there was 3 or 4 creepers would actively seek him out, sadly the worst one will also be on the Quantum Alaskan cruise in sept. 

On the first sea day my brother got invited to a sex party. Also he learned there are secret areas on deck that people go to hook up. I was sort of in disbelief but when we left Mason Jar we walked from aft deck 15 to forward, we had someone come from the shadows and ask what we were looking for.

I mean it could have been for drugs but the way they were looking at us.........

We were offered drugs a lot, I have no idea how they got them on but also offered drugs in ports.

We were also stared at a lot, sometimes they would ask if we were related other times they assumed we were a couple and were down.

This involved the worst creeper. The second sea day I went to the casino early. I sat at this jalapeno game, a couple was behind me. He turned and just stared at me. Originally, I thought he was just watching my screen. But he followed me when I went to another machine. I saw them a couple of times and my brother noticed his weird staring. Then we had brunch at Mason jar and he and his wife sat at a table to my right. They proceeded to have the most insane conversation, quite loudly. She accused him of booking cruises to cheat and always looking at other women. He started gaslighting her, bringing up her "dry cooter," lack of job, and how he pays for these cruises and all the bills. She brought up him breaking her bass. He asked for a break, she said no breaks because he uses them to cheat. He said it's because her "cooter was dusty." She threatens to kill herself. He said not to do it on this cruise. She started crying, didn't eat her food and left. He sat their trying to make eye contact with me for 5min, until my brother said something. He found out we were on the same sailing, by butting in on my brother's conversation with some standby castmates who will also be on that sailing and asked for contact info. I found this out because I saw him in the Crown lounge and he said "see you in September" and I was like he couldn't be talking to me.......but my brother told me about him being a nuisance at the WJ.

A man requested a 100% refund because he didn't know the "jews" would be taking over venues. He was so rude, he cursed that poor guest rep out. I mean she was all types of B words, I would have removed him from the ship, I mean hopefully they did because it was unnecessary. 

The last two involve nudity.

I mentioned how the Italians would just occupy space and be a hinderance. Well three pre/vintage women were in the bathroom on deck 5 by the theater blocking everything. Getting naked and swapping dresses on the first formal night. Only one had on stockings, so it was just full genitalia on display. They acted if nobody else was there. A woman and her daughter came in and screamed, mind you the doors are touchless and open wide.

The second was at the ice show. For someone reason people think it's okay to just climb the rows instead of walking through. I watch families and children do this. This lady in the shortest dress came in, we were sitting at the tables closest to the exit. There were two very nice vintages sitting next to us on my brother side. She told her extra vintage husband/sugar grandpa, there was two seats right here. She, in the shortest dress, hiked her leg up and showed everything while climbing over. The ladies next to us screamed, "sweet lord take me now" Then pulled out her thong to put on, climbed over to get drinks and did it again coming back.

. I would sail Wonder again but not pay for specialty dining. Just hit up Playmakers a la carte. 

The casino has the Little shop Of Horror game and the songs are stuck in my head. 

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I dunno if it's b/c I almost always sail with lots of families (summer, spring break), b/c of our routine which mostly involves eating, the solarium, trivia, shows, and just hanging out, or b/c we're in our own little bubble... but I've never come close to seeing anything like you see... and your experiences don't seem to be one-offs. I 100% believe you, of course, but also find it mind-boggling.

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44 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

I dunno if it's b/c I almost always sail with lots of families (summer, spring break), b/c of our routine which mostly involves eating, the solarium, trivia, shows, and just hanging out, or b/c we're in our own little bubble... but I've never come close to seeing anything like you see... and your experiences don't seem to be one-offs. I 100% believe you, of course, but also find it mind-boggling.

I keep attributing a lot of it to casino crowds bring out the freak in people? Too much smoke and no fresh air, so I totally miss out on this crowd. Thankfully. I'm too old to even watch these games being played out. LOL.

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