pinkrosesdeb

Sherri, did Columella leave the company? She was on Indy for quite a while and we loved her! Always was part of our enjoyment of the Indy.

First umbrella drink, first breakfast on the balcony,

killtheump, you can use the vouchers for any kind of non alcoholic drink as well...BUT, I am sure you can find some willing soul who would take you up on the free drinks! Enjoy diamond.

Thank you for taking the time to do the comparison. It is always great to get different points of view. I have heard both good and bad about NCL and have experienced both good and bad on Royal so it is great to have added knowledge of a line we have not tried. I did hear great things about the Haven on NCL, however, the pricing was outrageous compared to suites on Royal so we didn't book. I believe that would be the only way we would try NCL because of the crowding I keep hearing about from so many NCL reviews. Thank you again it was a big help.

That is good to know since our daughters are not diamond plus but can now get the BOGO as well. It does make our "diamond plus" perk NOT a perk any more though. We always do a specialty first night because of it and now we can get it for our whole party...nice!

We were having trouble getting into MTD on Allure and mentioned it to the diamond concierge. She had a table for us within 5 minutes. It can be done. We had tried to book prior to the cruise but it didn't work for some reason. When we went to the dining room the person speaking to us was a little rude and, basically said, "well you should have done it before you boarded!" We really did try and we forgave her because it was obvious she was getting more than a few of the same complaints. Whatever, it calmed down, everyone got seated and the rest of the time she was a pleasure! She greeted us with a smile every night and we loved seeing her. Sometimes we all get a little "testy" when things are stressful. Bottom line, your concierge should be able to handle booking for you but remember we have been turned away because the restaurants were fully booked later in the cruise. So, if you have an idea ask ahead of time. Enjoy that suite!

I really wish it was open for lunch on embarkation on the Freedom. It was so nice to have that option on Oasis class.

We always use park n go also. We have the frequent parker card which got us 2 free days last cruise...I LOVE free anything

For sure the veggies frequently looked sad and tired, we never ate them.

People seated near us got a cheese plate every night sometimes as their starter course since they weren't fond of the veggie, hummus served every night.

I have tried booking Embassy suites many times but the price is much higher than other hotels. We ended up staying further away since we drive in anyway and I was able to get the room for less than 1/2 the price. I keep checking rates but so far early Jan. at Embassy is over $300 per night. Would love to try it but not at that price.

Their tiramisu is pretty good too.

And our Freedom cruise, is listing a BOGO online that appears to be offered to anyone. We are diamond plus and I am looking at my own booking but that has never been offered before. I believe they do have BOGO options on some cruises now open to all.

I think most of the balcony cabin dividers can be opened. I know we did it at least once when cruising in connecting cabins with family members. Just ask your room steward first day.

I hope someone cruising on the Freedom in the next month or so comes back to comment on whether the new menus have rolled out yet. We aren't sailing til January so I guess they should be rolled out by then but I am hoping for some feedback, positive or negative on the new menus.

We have never done NCL and we LOVE the Freedom but that price difference is substantial. If you already know you will be happy with NCL that pricing would make the decision for me. Sounds like a great deal with NCL.

Almost all the shows EXCEPT for the late night ones will be family friendly. And, yes, there is a show of some sort every evening.

Just an FYI, the filet at Giovanni's was really good if you are looking for steak. And, yes, you can buy the Chops steak in the dining room.

I had forgotten that discussion, glad it didn't happen. I always learn something on these boards. Thanks

I wouldn't have done that one either...that is a BIG jump. The one time we got "the call" we only had to pay $200 total for 2 of us to go from a balcony to a GS, we DID jump on that one and loved every minute. Good to know though that they are making the calls still, I would love to get that call but our next cruise we already booked an OS so all I could get above that is the Royal suite. Maybe next time.

John&lala, my point was it is semantics. Maybe he used the wrong phrasing. He really only wanted to know about a new to him ship. I know I don't always choose the right words in a text either and then I go back and read it and say "what the heck did I mean by that"! But, I am old so I forgive myself and move on. I am not arguing with anyone, just trying to help out a new to Royal cruiser because we love to cruise so much and I hope everyone else will enjoy it too. It is hard to set a tone in a text message but I am really easy going and enjoy everyone. Maybe we will sail together some day.

This will be our first time purchasing the drink package so I won't know for sure how we will feel when it is all said and done. I can tell you I am NOT a big drinker but I usually enjoy a couple by the pool and one before dinner. This may not be a cost saver for me but my girls (adults) love wine with dinner and after dinner cordials is our tradition for the souvenir glasses! You might want to check your cruise planner because this weekend I found a 30% discount on the drink packages.

I guess my "sarcastic" question to all those of you who found it so hard to answer a simple question is...why did you even take the time? You could have skipped it altogether and let someone else answer. The search function doesn't always get you to the specific information you are seeking. I don't see the need to try to make someone feel stupid for asking a question! We all started somewhere in our quest for knowledge on Cruise Critic and I know after all these years it is still my go to for cruise information which is usually given politely. It may seem like a trivial question to you but to this poster, it was just a way to find out about a ship he has never sailed.

We had a small plate of fruit also and the bottle of Evian. As diamond plus, we also had a bottle of champagne and a small welcome basket. Sometimes they just forget I guess, Last cruise our steward forgot a lot of stuff for our room but got them for us quickly when we asked. I think it is the hazard of people lingering to get off the ship and the rest of us wanting to board as early as we can.

I have always enjoyed the concierge option but never wanted a butler. I like to do things for myself and wouldn't want to seem rude to someone who justs wants to help. We even have days when we tell the steward to just leave the room because we always take a nap anyway and we don't make much of a mess. Once a day clean is great for us. We love the GS for the size and are pretty easy to please.