DDaley Posted February 26 Report Share Posted February 26 Please plan to go back to Discovery Cove in 2028 so both Johnny AND Lydia can give you their best teenage-no-more-pictures-please faces!! PPPJJ-GCVAB and Cactus527 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCSC Mike Posted February 26 Report Share Posted February 26 12 minutes ago, GregD said: lunch buffet that I probably go to 2-3 times a month I would have to go alone but I should probably find one around here. 12 minutes ago, GregD said: their mains seem more for "civilian use." Their masala is very mild, and their spicy things are mild at best Yeah, I seem to get a standard warning from the MDR servers when I order the Indian dish. "It's a little spicy you know." It never really is though. We wound up with a different table/servers each night on that Allure cruise due to an IT glitch. We had Indian servers each night though and they always seemed a little surprised that some white American guy was ordering Indian food in the first place, then they smiled. Last random story... I ordered something from the cook-to-order wok station in WJ a long time ago and asked for the sauce to be spicy. The cook's face lit up and he goes "Ooooooh, you like spicy?" with a big smile. All I was thinking was "Oh crap!" Thankfully he didn't go crazy but I did get spicy that night, lol. Sweety and Cactus527 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted February 26 Report Share Posted February 26 45 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said: Unsurprisingly, my wife won't go near it I’m with your wife on this one. Don’t like most Indian food and the smell of curry makes me nauseous. Dan loves it so I’m super happy when he can get it and I can ignore it ! Sweety, Cactus527, Ampurp85 and 4 others 6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCSC Mike Posted February 26 Report Share Posted February 26 6 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said: I’m with your wife on this one. If we're not eating at home, there are VERY few meals where we're eating the same thing, lol. Even if it's burgers or pizza, mine won't be anything like hers. PPPJJ-GCVAB and WAAAYTOOO 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cactus527 Posted February 26 Report Share Posted February 26 I LOVE curry. Spouse made it for me on my first birthday when we were dating. It will always be special to me (and delicious!). We too have a great Indian place with a lunch buffet near us. Love it. The irony is it's right beside a running store. Eat then run? Probably better the other way around... There's another one, just a few miles from my house that I haven't been to yet but I have heard that it is quite $$$$$$$$. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbrinkm Posted February 26 Report Share Posted February 26 14 hours ago, GregD said: there will only be a headliner performer on cruises that are 8 nights or longer. By headliner, are they talking about the comedian/juggler/musical act in the big theater? Not the cast big-show performances? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted February 26 Report Share Posted February 26 Not at all a fan of curry but it's one of my brother's favorites. He loves spicy and only once has a curry been too hot for him and that was in Japan. He normally tries the Indian dishes in the MDR but he said none of them were spicy. I remember doing 4 in the villa on Harmony, the space was magnificent. I never watch the headliners; I don't feel like their brand of entertainment calls to me. But this will be a massive blow to those that do. WAAAYTOOO and asquared17 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted February 26 Report Share Posted February 26 14 hours ago, GregD said: he confirmed that just recently RC made the change that there will only be a headliner performer on cruises that are 8 nights or longer. If sailings less than 8 nights have no headliner, then what would replace that in the theatre? I am confused here...I thought the jugglers, random singers, etc. were the headliner? WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted February 26 Report Share Posted February 26 Just now, Lovetocruise2002 said: If sailings less than 8 nights have no headliner, then what would replace that in the theatre? I am confused here...I thought the jugglers, random singers, etc. were the headliner? I think that's the case on shorties but on a lot of my 7n sailings there was a headliner and then the person performing the welcome aboard show. Lovetocruise2002 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCSC Mike Posted February 26 Report Share Posted February 26 There have been headliners on Wonder (7N obv) ever since Tap Factory went away. Not a big deal to me if they go away but we'll usually go unless it's a singer. I'm gonna sit somewhere with a voucher drink watching something. If a juggler or magician sucks, oh well, we can leave early. We always sit up on deck 5 anyway... easy to slip out. WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregD Posted February 27 Author Report Share Posted February 27 7 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said: If sailings less than 8 nights have no headliner, then what would replace that in the theatre? I am confused here...I thought the jugglers, random singers, etc. were the headliner? The jugglers, magicians etc are the headliners. Those are going away. For instance there was none of that on our cruise. There was no welcome aboard show on the first night, no singers, nothing… This is all VERY recent, as in the last week or two they are being phased out. I believe Berty said fleet wide, so as contracts run out, they are not being replaced. OCSC Mike, She Sails Away, Cactus527 and 4 others 3 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCSC Mike Posted February 27 Report Share Posted February 27 9 minutes ago, GregD said: This is all VERY recent, as in the last week or two they are being phased out. Ya know, I had been checking recent & upcoming headliners on Wonder & next week’s or beyond had yet to appear in the app. I could usually see 2-3 sailings ahead but we all know not to trust the app. Now it sounds like that’s the answer. Thanks for sharing. GregD 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregD Posted February 27 Author Report Share Posted February 27 15 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said: Ya know, I had been checking recent & upcoming headliners on Wonder & next week’s or beyond had yet to appear in the app. I could usually see 2-3 sailings ahead but we all know not to trust the app. Now it sounds like that’s the answer. Thanks for sharing. I’ve been looking at other ships tonight too, some have headliners for the next two weeks, then nothing. Symphony doesn’t have anything listed for any sailings including this week. Definitely something to follow up on. Maybe @Matt has someone he could reach out to. Could be a good article for the main site. I’m curious to see the justification they use, though we all know it’s to save $$ Sweety and OCSC Mike 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregD Posted February 27 Author Report Share Posted February 27 Well folks, we are home. Our travel day was super easy. I don’t have to go to work tomorrow so I will be able to finish this out then. She Sails Away, Cactus527, WAAAYTOOO and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted February 27 Report Share Posted February 27 1 hour ago, GregD said: The jugglers, magicians etc are the headliners. Those are going away. For instance there was none of that on our cruise. There was no welcome aboard show on the first night, no singers, nothing… This is all VERY recent, as in the last week or two they are being phased out. I believe Berty said fleet wide, so as contracts run out, they are not being replaced. So there’s just nothing in the theatre those nights? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babsy47 Posted February 27 Report Share Posted February 27 I’m not sure it really makes long-term business sense to dramatically increase prices while cutting service. We are now paying far more for cruises. It seems the entertainment, staffing, and food cutting should stop. jbrinkm and WAAAYTOOO 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bellemiche Posted February 27 Report Share Posted February 27 On 2/23/2024 at 12:49 PM, GregD said: While chatting with Berty at the start of dinner, Johnny mentioned that he wanted to see the aqua show from the splash zone. We didn’t have anything planned, so he made it happen. Of course, I was forced to sit with that jerk while The Boss was safely outside of the splash zone. Somehow I got more wet than Johnny did….oh well. Our original assessment of the show still stands. While entertaining, not our favorite. @Lovetocruise2002and I got soaked once on the Oasis and we weren't in the Splash Zone! Thanks for the blog. We're on Harmony in July in the 4 bedroom villa. We've never left from Galveston before. Looks like you had a wonderful experience and trip! Lovetocruise2002 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LandstromCruise Posted February 27 Report Share Posted February 27 6 hours ago, Babsy47 said: I’m not sure it really makes long-term business sense to dramatically increase prices while cutting service. We are now paying far more for cruises. It seems the entertainment, staffing, and food cutting should stop. Very true. They must think there are enough new cruisers coming aboard that if they get rid of all this stuff now they will be none the wiser and clearly they think the new cruiser market is bigger than the old cruisers so they really don’t care much what we think. It probably helps them if seasoned cruisers go away to reset their high level loyalty members. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
She Sails Away Posted February 27 Report Share Posted February 27 On 2/24/2024 at 12:54 PM, jbrinkm said: Paging @She Sails Away & @Ampurp85 Oh my stars. Still having flashbacks to that horror show bloodbath in the solarium on Oasis. It appears to be something I'll never forget! jbrinkm 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregD Posted February 27 Author Report Share Posted February 27 20 hours ago, DDaley said: Please plan to go back to Discovery Cove in 2028 so both Johnny AND Lydia can give you their best teenage-no-more-pictures-please faces!! Okay!! 8 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said: So there’s just nothing in the theatre those nights? Correct 6 hours ago, Babsy47 said: I’m not sure it really makes long-term business sense to dramatically increase prices while cutting service. We are now paying far more for cruises. It seems the entertainment, staffing, and food cutting should stop. Preaching to the choir here.....I will be talking about that in the survey... 1 hour ago, bellemiche said: @Lovetocruise2002and I got soaked once on the Oasis and we weren't in the Splash Zone! Thanks for the blog. We're on Harmony in July in the 4 bedroom villa. We've never left from Galveston before. Looks like you had a wonderful experience and trip! Thank you, but wait there is more to finish!! As @asquared17 said, I was busy making memories! DDaley, Sweety, Lovetocruise2002 and 2 others 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregD Posted February 27 Author Report Share Posted February 27 So I think we are now up to the special treat for the wife. I know I have been hinting at sparkly things that we have been looking for, and not having any luck. But..... But............ We went another route. I really did want to treat her, to something special. She recently got a big promotion at work that she worked so hard for, and it was really a wonderful thing for this position to become available in her company, and in this location so that we wouldn't have to relocate....plus she deserves it from putting up with me right @TheBoss518 So may I present to you Luis.... She is beyond excited....and can't wait for work on Wednesday to show it off a little bit. For all of you that were hoping on sparkly things...FEAR NOT!!!! I have found the exact thing that she was looking for on the Effy site and I have ordered it! sammy79, Lovetocruise2002, Jax and 11 others 9 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregD Posted February 27 Author Report Share Posted February 27 Following our little shopping adventure, we headed back to the room. We had Big Daddy's Hideaway Heist Aqua show to watch from the balcony. Dan and his family were coming as well. Spinny guy is back more slack line Enthralled kids food porn for @OCSC Mike WAAAYTOOO, PPPJJ-GCVAB, Cactus527 and 8 others 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCSC Mike Posted February 27 Report Share Posted February 27 For the record, I enjoy the tag shout outs, but I am not the only one who likes food porn. I'm beginning to get a complex, lol. I am not ashamed to talk about how much I enjoy eating on cruises but I'm starting to think I've portrayed myself as some gluttonous sloth of a man who does nothing but eat all day. So for the record, I spend plenty of time with my wife in the Solarium (no, not eating), playing some trivia, going to shows, going to game shows, listening to people butcher karaoke, and usually going on one long-ish excursion per cruise besides CocoCay. I now return you to your regularly scheduled programming... She Sails Away, MaryS, Jax and 8 others 2 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted February 27 Report Share Posted February 27 1 hour ago, GregD said: So may I present to you Luis.... Maybe you can talk to Hubby about this in December lol 1 hour ago, OCSC Mike said: I'm starting to think I've portrayed myself as some gluttonous sloth of a man who does nothing but eat all day. And also willing to room in the bathtub or balcony if space is available! GregD, Cactus527, OCSC Mike and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCSC Mike Posted February 27 Report Share Posted February 27 Just now, Lovetocruise2002 said: Maybe you can talk to Hubby about this in December lol And also willing to room in the bathtub or balcony if space is available! Well yeah but I feel ZERO shame being thought of as a guy willing to sleep in a non-bed if it gets me into Star Class (I'd do it for Sky Class too when you're slumming it). Jax, Lovetocruise2002, WAAAYTOOO and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMOKEY0202 Posted February 27 Report Share Posted February 27 Well between Luis and the sparkling Effy, what more can a gal need except maybe Luis accessories to go with bag or a couple more cruises booked. Heck just do both, she well deserves it. Lovetocruise2002, Sweety and GregD 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregD Posted February 27 Author Report Share Posted February 27 After the final Aqua show, we all got ready for our last dinner on the ship. We were all eating together in CK at the big table for a final celebration of good food and friends and memories. It was white night, and only Lydia got the memo in our family….. We all had a great time. Drinks were flowing, lots of laughs. Soon, our waiter Ravi who was been taking care of us when we were there was piling food on the table! the camera never got bites of our appetizers, but they were things everyone has seen before, escargot, salads and French onion soup. I ordered the lamb shank, which was super tender. The boss ordered the veal chop Dan and Kristine both got the saffron linguini. The boss and were also tossing that one around as a possibility, so Ravi brought us one to share. He also brought out a seared tuna for all of us to share which prompted the “push the tuna, it’s about to turn” jokes. When it came to desserts, most of us ordered the dulche de leche crème brûlée. This one actually tasted good. there was also some Chocolate cake and fruit. With happy hearts and full bellies, it was eventually time to say goodbye to CK for the night. We thanked Ravi for all of his hard work and great service and wished him well and headed out for a few more drinks. OCSC Mike, asquared17, Ampurp85 and 6 others 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jax Posted February 27 Report Share Posted February 27 7 minutes ago, GregD said: our waiter Ravi who was been taking care of us when we were there was piling food on the table! Ravi took care of us too. We loved him but didn’t spend as much time in CK as we normally do due to 3 early morning excursions and 2 early morning flowrider sessions. I made a point to mention him in our survey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweety Posted February 27 Report Share Posted February 27 4 hours ago, GregD said: Following our little shopping adventure, we headed back to the room. We had Big Daddy's Hideaway Heist Aqua show to watch from the balcony. Dan and his family were coming as well. Spinny guy is back more slack line Enthralled kids food porn for @OCSC Mike Red Velvet Cake. I was waiting for it! WAAAYTOOO, GregD and Cactus527 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregD Posted February 27 Author Report Share Posted February 27 21 minutes ago, Sweety said: Red Velvet Cake. I was waiting for it! Those guys never stood a chance...they were gone in a flash! Cactus527 and Sweety 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregD Posted February 27 Author Report Share Posted February 27 After dinner, we went down to Studio B to watch 1887: A Journey in Time ice show. Berty again went above and beyond and also had seats held for Dan and his family. This show was really good too. I think their ice shows are all well done on the ships. There was a guess star in the show, who did some really neat tricks with a giant metal ring. As this is our first time seeing the show, I don't know if this is normally part, or if this changes week to week. Photography wasn't allowed, so you will have to take my word for it. Lovetocruise2002, Cactus527, MaryS and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cactus527 Posted February 27 Report Share Posted February 27 6 hours ago, OCSC Mike said: I'm beginning to get a complex......but I'm starting to think I've portrayed myself as some gluttonous sloth of a man who does nothing but eat all day. You and I are food twins! Own it and be proud! Jump on a table in the MDR and yell "WHERE IS THE FOOD?!?!???" (beating your chest is optional) OCSC Mike 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCSC Mike Posted February 27 Report Share Posted February 27 2 minutes ago, Cactus527 said: You and I are food twins! Own it and be proud! Jump on a table in the MDR and yell "WHERE IS THE FOOD?!?!???" (beating your chest is optional) One reason I'm not an MDR fan... small portions and I have wait for servers to bring me my food. Lovetocruise2002 and Cactus527 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregD Posted February 27 Author Report Share Posted February 27 One final treat for the kids after the ice show, we stopped up at Wonderland bar. We used some more diamond vouchers and treated the girls to the Cheshire Cat cosmos. They thought it was so fun to pour the drink onto the cotton candy. Once they were sufficiently hopped up on sugar...plus the bar was closing we went down to the dance party. Johnny really liked sharing his experiences with Livi. She could easily become homesick, and Johnny could usually break her out of it quickly. The dance party wasn't really my thing, or Johnnys thing so we ended up doing a couple of last minute laps, then headed back to the room. MaryS, Lovetocruise2002, Cactus527 and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cactus527 Posted February 27 Report Share Posted February 27 45 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said: One reason I'm not an MDR fan... small portions and I have wait for servers to bring me my food. You can absolutely do the same thing in the Windjammer - in fact, it might be more appropriate there. OCSC Mike 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregD Posted February 27 Author Report Share Posted February 27 Departure.... Berty gave us two options for our bags. We would have them out by midnight the last night, or six am on departure day. Looking at the departure sheet they are really pushing for people not to do self assist. There is bold print that self assist is only for people with one bag, as the terminal has minimal elevators, and they don't want people going down the escalators with multiple bags. While I have never been lucky enough to have the earlier star class experience with the genie coming with a porter on the last day, we had ours out by midnight except for the small suitcase for the infamous weighted blanket and makeup etc etc. We have never lost a bag, nor do we put anything valuable in them so it has not been an issue for us yet.... On the last morning, we were up in coastal around 7:30. We weren't necessarily rushing since we didn't have anywhere to be right away, but we did want to be out to give the attendant as much time as possible. At breakfast, I got my last Mediterranean Plate Johnny had one last frosted donut for @Lovetocruise2002 Lydia was done with pictures At 8:30 Berty met us at CK to walk us off the ship. He was also escorting the 4 guests in the villa off at the same time too. He used his magical powers and the elevator went straight to the promenade, where we got a picture of him with he kids We were whisked around the long line of people off the ship. Galveston must do some things a little different because he was able to accompany us all the way past the facial scanners to our waiting luggage. The scanners here were great, and super quick. All of the star class luggage was grouped together in the corner and easy to get to. With our belongings recovered, we too quickly said our final goodbyes and were on our way. Total time from pickup at coastal kitchen to our car was 18 minutes, including the few extra minutes it took to get to the car because we accidentally walked the wrong way MaryS, OCSC Mike, HBCcruiser and 4 others 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCSC Mike Posted February 27 Report Share Posted February 27 12 minutes ago, GregD said: Johnny had one last frosted donut They may not travel as well as the cookies I bring home but that's what gallon ziplocs are for. No donuts for the road??? Poor kid. Cactus527, WAAAYTOOO and Lovetocruise2002 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted February 27 Report Share Posted February 27 17 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said: They may not travel as well as the cookies I bring home but that's what gallon ziplocs are for. No donuts for the road??? Poor kid. Croissants don’t travel well either. Been there, done that SweetPea and OCSC Mike 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCSC Mike Posted February 27 Report Share Posted February 27 Just now, Lovetocruise2002 said: Croissants don’t travel well either. Been there, done that Yep, my wife has as well. Lovetocruise2002 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregD Posted February 27 Author Report Share Posted February 27 Our first task once in the car was a rescue mission!! Poor Ashlyn forgot her favorite stuffed animal at the hotel before getting on the ship. Thankfully Kristine called the hotel and they were able to hold onto it for them. Dan had planned on getting off the ship as soon as the gangway opened and walked to the hotel to retrieve it and hopefully return in time to get their shuttle to the airport. I told him that was crazy, and that since we had the car, we would go get it for them. They stayed at the Harbor House, so it would have been doable, but not necessary. Rescue mission completed!! We sent word to Ashlyn and she was a very happy girl! MaryS, Lovetocruise2002, PPPJJ-GCVAB and 6 others 6 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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