M_BA

I forgot about Johnny Rockets surcharge! Each cruise line is different in this regard.

The two venues I really enjoy on Carnival are Guy's Burger Joint and the Blue Iguana Cantina. These are good examples of, as of now, no-cost venues.

I think it partially has to due with cruise demographics changing. The cruise industry has seen a 50% growth in the past decade. Much of this growth is due to younger cruisers, many with children.

I haven't seen cruise fares increase substantially since I began cruising in 2001. Granted, I tend to cruise off season, so peak cruise fairs may be a different story.

What I have observed go up are gratuities, port charges, excursions and alcohol prices. Alcohol is a cash cow for cruise ships.

If one is frugal, you won't spend a cent more that the rack rate. I personally splurge for the alcohol package.

As for specialty dining, I've found it quite good and a good value. Sabor at lunchtime for $15 is a steal. The amount of food the three of shared would have been $80-100 at an upper scale Mexican restaurant.

Chops is also a good value. I can order the filet mignon in the MDR for about $16-18 (I don't remember the amount). This steak is on par with a $55 steak from Morton's in DC or Ruth's Chris steak house.

I was able to get Chop's for lunch at a discount of $18 per person. We'll definitely get our money's worth from this lunch experience.

Other than that, we probably won't spend any other money on board.

As always, mileages and experiences will vary!

I am currently on the Anthem of the Seas.

 

There are four news channels.

 

27 - MSNBC

 

28 - FOX News

 

29 - BBC World News

 

30 - Sky News

Thanks for the Fox News update! I'll post the same for Vision next week.

If you have My Time Dining, the wait could be anywhere from 15 seconds to 20 minutes. It just depends variables of guests showing up and tables available.

Times have certainly changed. I loved the libraries in early 2000. On my last RCL cruise in 2016, Liberty of the seas had a very small selection of books (maybe 150-200) outside the Internet cafe.

As others have said, I also use a basic B/W Kindle. It has a enough books on it to last me years. The ink screen is quite easy to read outside in full sun. I find it easier than carrying 4-5 paperbacks in my carry-on duffel bag.

I love the idea of a table to donate books to others, a great way to pay it forward!

We leave the booklets in the safe but carry the cards.

Same here, Passports in ship cabin safe; carry the US Passport cards off ship. All other documents are available on Google Drive thru smart phone (birth certificates, adoption papers, court decrees, guardianship, passports, etc.).

No, the added benefits will not be available until your next cruise.

Without travel insurance that covers inclement weather, I would expect anyone unable to board will simply be out of luck.

Hi Bob,

Would the distinction be that the 5 Night you can use it for lunch or dinner, vs the Ultimate offering lunch on sea days in addition to nightly dinner?

I am not seeing any difference between the 5 Night Dining and the Ultimate Dining packages for a five night cruise. The 5 Night package is $105 USD, $15 less than the Ultimate.

Am I missing something? The bottle wine discounts also appear the same.

Regards,

Michael

Broken Arrow, OK

Other than the requirement that you must shovel coal into the engines when you bunk on deck 2, those staterooms are very quiet and extremely convenient to getting off and on the ship at ports.

This will no longer be a requirement on the two future Project Icon LNG ships, until then cover your mouth and nose while shoveling!

There is a new android app, weMessage, that allows iMessage on an android phone.

https://wemessageapp.com/

This biggest caveat is that is does require a MacOS computer to run. The messages are routed thru the Mac, as it runs a weMessage server on the Mac to allow the messaging.

I suspect Apple will work to block this service, as they have in the past with other similar apps that try to access iMessage.

If you happen to have a stop in Key West, there is a first generation Cuban immigrant cigar shop. They are on par with other authentic Cuban cigars and are 100% legal in the US.

http://www.rodriguezcigarskeywest.com/

Silly question but I am a die hard Buffalo Bills fan and after 17 years they are finally in the playoffs, yeah, yippee, great!! I am also boarding the Oasis next Saturday for a long awaited cruise, maybe not 17 years but still, yeah, yippee, great!!

So if you have not figured out my questions yet it would be is there any chance some where on the ship I'd be able to watch the playoff game? Is there a sports bar that I may have missed in my months of researching this huge ship? Thanks and Go Bills!!!!!!!!!!!!:D

You are in luck, Oasis has a sports bar; On Air Club, deck 5, Royal Promenade, port side forward.

They show a variety of sporting events, including NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB playoffs.

Celebrating our 50th in October 2019 and hoping to book a transatlantic out of Rome. Princess, Holland America and Celebrity TA's available to book. Anyone know when RCCL will open theirs?

Royal Caribbean Transatlantic cruises appear available now:

https://secure.royalcaribbean.com/cruises/?dates_maxDate=11%252F30%252F2019&dates_minDate=04%252F01%252F2019&destinationRegionCode_T.ATL=true&destinationRegionCode_TPACI=true

Congratulations on 50 years in 2019!

Congratulations, what a milestone! Have a wonderful week on Serenade!

Wow. Nice to hear about a human touch. My heart goes out to you and I wish you find all the strength you need. And when you are ready, the sea will be waiting for you.

 

 

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I plan to use the November booking to go ahead and take the children on a cruise out of Galveston.

My wife and I were booked to take a cruise out of Galveston April 30th this year. On April 29th, the day we were going to drive to Galveston from Oklahoma, she was hospitalized. She ultimately spend the following 27 days hospitalized until passing away.

I never once thought to call Royal Caribbean about the cruise. We missed it and didn't buy insurance. So I thought there was no reason to contact them. With future cruises booked, I knew I would have to call can make changes to them. I finally got around to calling about our September Alaska cruise. I called Crown and Anchor the day before final payment was due to move this cruise out to a future date. C&A advised that I should have called reservations but no problem, they would be glad to assist.

The person on the phone, I wish I had gotten their name, was quite courteous. He did ask questions, when I simply asked to move the cruise to any 7 night cruise out of Galveston in 2019. So, I explained that my wife had passed away and I didn't know when or where I'd use this cruise. He asked if he could put me on hold for a few moments and I said, yes that would be fine.

He then came back and inquired about our missed April cruise. So, I did as best I could explain what occurred, without getting to emotional or upset. He then put me on hold again for a few minutes. When he came back, a supervisor was also on the call. The supervisor said that she didn't want to sound insensitive, but could I e-mail her a copy of my wife's death certificate along with any paperwork showing when she was initially hospitalized. I said yes, but why. She said that they were going to credit me the amount that had been paid towards a future cruise, along with the associated OBC. I was floored and did my best to not get really emotional. She said it was the least they could do, and appreciated that we had begun cruising RCCL after a hiatus.

A week later, I received condolence card from C&A, signed by about twenty persons. Their goodwill certainly goes a long ways towards my future cruise choices.

Uber and Lyft are also available to/from the port.

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Here is another local story about this incident : http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/sfl-celebrity-equinox-house-20170308-story.html

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Our experience is if we leave the bag for the stateroom attendant in the morning, we get the clothes back before 5pm the next day. If we leave the bag in the evening, then it takes two days to get the clothes back. Check with your stateroom attendant, policies might differ ship to ship.

Our bag was left in the evening, thanks for the additional information regarding turnaround.

I've used the self service laundry machines on the Disney and Carnival cruise lines. The Carnival ships that I used them on don't use coins. You swipe your room key. The laundry rooms aren't on every deck and they are much smaller than a regular cabin. I wish all of the ships had them. I use carry-on luggage only when I cruise on a ship with self service laundry.

 

On RCL, my husband and I will have to bring larger suitcases and check them when we fly. The airline charges $25 per bag each way, so $100 extra dollars on our tickets for us to take the larger suitcases and check them versus carry-on. I prefer taking an hour out of my cruise to wash a load of clothes. I usually catch up on my laptop while my husband goes to the gym. It's not a big deal and it's only an hour.

 

The $35 for the laundry charge doesn't bother me that much, but I wonder how long it will take to get the clothes back and if the clothes will be in good condition. Does anyone know how long it takes to get your clothes back?

We did a bag of laundry on Liberty of the Seas last year. It took two days to receive our clothes back, folded in bag.

What do you mean by upscale/business sweat pants? I've never heard of them so I'm curious. :D

Some info here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2344786

Wow, I spent an hour reading half that thread today while my oldest daughter had soccer practice. I'll have to schedule some time for the 2nd half! Thanks for the link!