abbydancer2003

If the flight is on time, you probably won't make it. It's about 25-35 minutes to the pier from the airport. So let's say you arrive at 1:00, and get out of the airport at 1:25 with bags (slightly optimistic) 30 minutes to the pier, so you arrive there at 1:55. It will take about 10 minutes to check in and board the ship, assuming no lines. So no, you are unlikely to make it.

I think the exemption just allowed for round trips from Seattle without a stop in Canada. IIRC, there were no one way cruises that year.

Not necessarily. After our last cruise, we got to Newark airport at 11am. Our fight was at 5pm. We arrived at 8pm - our bags arrived at 5pm. When tracking on the app, they were recorded as on an earlier flight.

Correct. And sometimes, when it's the beginning of the season, someone will want to start in Hawaii (X) or LA (Princess), go to Vancouver, and then continue on to Seward or Whittier. If they book it, sooner or later, with sooner being usual, they'll get a call or email from the cruiseline telling them they have to cancel one, or stay on the ship an extra week and disembark in Vancouver. It's all about where you get on, and where you ultimately get off.

First time no points, and nothing on my history. I did watch it I guess I'll contact captain's club in a couple of days.

Summit Day 11 Disembark. Saturday 3 We were up at 7, since we had to be out of the room by 8. Yesterday, Pratip said he would bring us coffee, and at 7:15 he arrived with a couple of to-go cups of coffee. He really was a great butler. We then went to Luminae for a quick breakfast and said goodbye to the staff. After that, it was the Retreat lounge, until about 9:30, when Connie walked us to the gangway, as they’d cleared everyone to leave. She led us to the forward of two gangways (there was one midship as well, as there was no line here. We got through quickly, did facial recognition, got our bags, and then the fun started. We got to the exit, and tried to call a Lyft. It took about 15 minutes to find a driver, and the driver was over 30 minutes a\way. I noticed other people have trouble with both Lyft and Uber. Apparently they are very busy on Saturday AM. About an hour after we arrived, our driver showed up (those of you who know New Jersey, apparently he started in Hoboken, and had a ride or two before us. It didn’t really matter, as our flight wasn’t until 6:00 pm. Once we arrived at the airport, close to noon I think, we packed our off-the-ship bag into our suitcase, checked our bags, and headed to the United Club for a few hours. A little after 5pm, we boarded. On the trip we tried premium economy, which has better seats and dinner. The flight was supposed to be about 30 minutes early, but ended up leaving an hour late, so was a few minutes. Premium economy was Ok, the space was nice for 5 hours, but I didn’t discover that there was actually a foot rest until the end of the flight. We have a driver we work with and he was there promptly. We were dropped at my mom’s house and with that, I’ll end. Overall, this was a great cruise, other than, of course, the family stuff. It was very nice having two sets of friends with us, even though we didn’t regularly eat with either one. The staff was great. The room could use better storage, but I think that’s a continuing problem with revolutionized ships, at least on the M class. Thanks all who followed and didn’t give up on me. May was quite a month and I hope June will be better. I’ll be back, either on the Princess board for my first ever New England cruise in September or one of my December cruises. In December we're doing 6 days on Royal (Symphony) followed immediately by 7 days on the Apex, my first time on that ship. Thanks again!

Summit Day 10 Sea Day 6 Friday 2 We woke up a little too late for breakfast in Luminae, so instead we went to the Elite Continental in Tuscan. It was a bit better than on the Infinity and I asked for, and got, an almond croissant. After that, I did my now usual morning thing - a bit of casino time followed by the brief stop at Effy for my charm. I went to Al Baccio and met Arie & Cheryl there for a bit, and then grabbed my laptop and headed to the lounge. Around noon I got a text from Arie that I should look at the buffet. We headed up and it turns out it was the farewell (I guess) extravaganza. The dessert area was quite impressive. We sat with Arie & Cheryl for a while, and then headed to Luminae for our last lunch. Today was a repeat of day one, and I had the pea soup and New York steak. For dessert today, I had the cobbler from the main dining, which was not available on day one, since main dining isn’t open. After lunch, we did our last Catan of the cruise. Cheryl won, and we all had fun. We agreed to meet in Rendezvous after the 7pm show, since Glen didn’t want to see December 63 again. After that, it was time for the dreaded packing. I took a break and went to the casino for my last visit, I played two machines and won a bit on both. When I got back, we watched some of Return of the King, at least until I tripped over the cord, and pulled it out. Because of the lack of power outlets, we’re running an extension cord across the room, so I’m surprised it took me this long. Clearly a sign, so we packed up the DVD set up. We were able to get the HDMI cord out without staff help. At around 7:30, we decided to go head to the lounge. We found seats, and Arie & Cheryl joined us just before 8. Apparently the show was good, but not as good as the first show. We danced a bit and chatted between dances. At about 8:45, we said goodbye, because we like won’t see them tomorrow. For our final dinner I had burrata cheese, and the short ribs from main dining. The last time I had them from Luminae, they were too spicy, but I did like the steam buns so Monick added some for me. For dessert, both Glen and I had the ricotta cheesecake. I’ve had it before, but I just realized that it was very similar to the cheesecake pie at Marie Callendar’s, which I really like. Following dinner, we went back to the room, put the bags out, talked to family and went to bed. Tomorrow, we fly back to California for 2 days.

We usually go once a cruise when we miss the restaurant hours. Especially since they changed the hours from closing at 9:30 on sea days to 9am on all day.

An Americano is expresso with a higher percent of water (or something like that). On my first X cruise, I was with my sister who drinks a ridiculous amount of hot tea. We were always at Al Baccio, and I drink coffee with milk. Americanos are not the same. That was when I learned to like lattes.

I didn't get locked out on the revolutionized Summit, but I usually play about 50-75 at a time, and may in fact have played 10% most times. Because I play small amounts and I'm usually in a suite, I play a lot. A couple of times I'll win a little bit on the first or second spin and then I cash out. So I don't know.

I'm doing my first Royal cruise on the Symphony in December, so following all Live Oasis class ship threads. Thanks.

Hi I'm a long time Princess and Celebrity cruiser, and for grins, I just booked the Symphony for 6 days in December. i have a couple of questions. First, we're in a Crown Loft Suite. I decided that I wanted to try Wonderland (seemed most unique to RC) for one night, probably late. Should I wait until I'm onboard to book, or should I book online now? Second, I booked this because we're on the Celebrity Apex 6 days later, and I wanted to make the trip a bit longer, and to try Royal on an Oasis ship. However, that means that we have to get off the Symphony and get over to the Apex. What's the best way to do that? Does the question even make sense? I'm guessing the Apex will probably be at berth 25. Thanks much.

Summit Day 9 - Sea Day 5 - Thursday 2 We did get up in time for breakfast today. At 10 today, we have a bridge tour, so we had to finish in a timely manner. We did, but still ended up one minute late, although we weren’t the last people there. There were about 10 of us on the tour. After a security wand down, we headed to the bridge. We were placed at one of the side control panels and second officer Mohammed, with help from the captain, explained everything. There was lots of interesting information about how the systems worked. The view from our vantage point. Our bridge tour group Not actual size. Following that, I went to the Effy store and got my charm of the day. Apparently there are two pickup times, but it’s the same both times. I think it’s because this is a 10 day cruise, rather than 7. (And I didn’t pay attention during our 12 day one). Next stop was Splendor in the buffet. By the time we finished it was close to lunch time. Glen decided to get a pre lunch ice cream and I hung with Arie and Cheryl. Today they had carved turkey, which they both like. I noticed they had beef stroganoff, so I made a small dish of it - plain pasta, the stroganoff and some sour cream. It was good, but had been better on the Infinity (maybe it was because I actually had it for lunch that day, rather than a snack now). After I finished my snack I met Glen in the room and we went to lunch. By the time we went, it wasn’t too busy. I started with the fried polenta sticks from main. They looked like fried mozzarella sticks, but didn’t hold together as well. What would be good would be an appetizer with one of each, but they’re not offered the same day. For mains, we both had the filet mignons, which was recommended by our friend Gary. It didn’t disappoint. For dessert, I had one of my favorites - berry pavlova. It’s one of a few I wish they had everyday (And maybe they would if I asked). Following lunch it was back to the room for a bit to prepare for our unexpected meeting with a future cruise specialist. We hadn’t planned to see one, since we have several open bookings still, but Arie had mentioned that there was a new sale on Galapagos and it included air. (I think when we moved our 2023 booking to 2025, we paid for the air). The specialist was very helpful. We determined that the 2024 price was closer to the 2023 price (by a lot) so we decided to move it up, since Peru has stabilized, I think. He couldn’t touch the 2025 booking so we made a new one. I can cancel the 2025 one, but I need to make sure it was on our cruise use credit card, as we just had to replace our basic one. (It was, so I cancelled it when I figured it out.) Next up was the, apparently, first ever (at least for this ship) Retreat wine tasting. It was hosted by our Sommelier from Luminae. We had four wines to try, and it was more interesting than the Elite wine tasting had been on the Infinity (we didn’t bother to go on this trip). We spent our time talking with one of the people on our bridge tour. Next up was the Captain’s Club senior officer party. It wasn’t well attended, and kind of a bust, actually. We were there with Arie & Cheryl, who had let the dining room know they’d be about 30 minutes late for dinner. At about 6:30, they headed to dinner and we headed to the theater. The show tonight was called Soundtrack, and featured movie music. It was Ok, but the band was too loud for the singing level. After the show, I went back to the room to make some more calls and then we headed to the lounge for one of the bands. We found Arie and Cheryl there, and sat with them until it was time for them to head to the 9pm show. At that time we headed to dinner. Tonight I had the tomato basil soup from Blu (with the tiny grilled cheese sandwich croutons), and the rack of lamb as usual. For dessert, I had the Daniel Boulud Raspberry Vacherin. For the first time in a while, it actually had raspberries. Since it was Evening Chic night, Monick brought the cookie plate, and for the first time there was almost no chocolate on it. I went to the Casino after dinner, since there was a 5.00 free slot play. I also asked about getting Glen’s free slot coupons for use later, but they said he had to play when he got them. It was late for that, so we passed. Arie and Cheryl were there, so we went to Cellar Masters with them and chatted until about 11:15. Then it was time to go back to the room. Tomorrow is the last full day of the cruise.

Wow. So maybe it is coming back. Hope so, because I really enjoyed it. Now if they'd also bring back the connections event, I'd be really happy.

And did they have passed hors d'oevres?

My first cruise was my honeymoon in 1998. A few months before, I was watching Titanic in the theater with my mother. At the end, she says to me - "are you sure you want to go on a cruise?" My response - "I think the odds of hitting an Iceberg in the Caribbean are pretty small, so I'm good".

The pictures are probably because I put the phone down after the appetizers arrive and then I forget about it. I'm trying to get better about doing all courses. Retreat guests can eat in Blu on an availability basis for no charge. On my first time in the Retreat on the Reflection, we couldn't get it because there apparently are a lot more Aqua cabins on that than previous ships, with no size increase in Blu. Since then, I haven't tried for dinner there until this cruise, but I've had breakfast there a few times.

My bad. (It's late here) I meant what time did the ship leave?

What was embarakation time, if you remember?

I suspect it's simpler then all that. It seems that if a ship leaves after about 6 or so, you get the lunch later. It looks like the Mille leaves Vancouver at 5 pm, so concierge lunch on embarkation day. It leaves Seward at 7, so it's later in the cruise. Where I fault them is that the OP didn't know that - it would have been so much better if it' had been communicated in advance.

At this point, I wouldn't count on the nightly thing. It hasn't been brought back on any cruise, nor has the cruise critic connections party. Originally they said Covid because of crowds, yet even then they had silent disco.

Just out of curiosity, what time did the ship leave? I know when they started back up in St. Maartin in 2021 the ship left at 10pm so that people could, if they wanted, comfortably fly in the day of the cruise. They also moved the concierge lunch since it was very possible that many booking it would miss it. However, they made that clear in advance that they were doing that. And for what it's worth, of all the Alaska ports that I've visited, Icy Straights is the least interesting, to me anyway.

From my perspective, the main thing was that the 100.00 change fee still applied, rather than the whole deposit. My view on deposit amounts is pay now or pay later, it doesn't matter to me. The main thing was the change fee. That said, I recognize that the deposit amount does matter to some people, and this is not meant to dispute that. It's just my perspective.

I'm in California, 3am is midnight here, and I'm almost always awake. I can do your wakeup call if you need it.

Summit Day 8 Sea day 4 - Wednesday 2 Today is the second of our 4 remaining sea days. We woke up too late for breakfast, so we ordered some coffee and juice while we dressed. Then we headed to the lounge for a while, and worked on both this blog and my class. While there I got a text from Arie about both lunch and Catan. They were in the Sky lounge for the archery event, and Cheryl was doing really well. Glen, in the meantime had an IT issue with his app and apparently an IT guy was going to meet him in the lounge to fix it. So I headed up to the Sky Lounge, where Cheryl had just won second place, and won a phone popper (or whatever it’s called). We decided to head to the pool bar, where I had a Daiquiri light (a little less alcohol). Glen showed up a little while later, apparently he’d fixed the issue himself. We then headed to lunch in the main dining room with them. (We planned on that). We were seated at a 4 top towards the back of the dining room. I started with the chilled blueberry soup. It was pretty good and had a consistency sort of like borsch. I had the fried chicken for my main, and then finished with key lime pie. Most of us had that, but I was the only one that liked it. After lunch, we went back to the buffet and played our afternoon game of Catan. Following that, I went to the room for a while and worked on my class. Mid afternoon I decided to head to the retreat lounge and see if they had any good eclairs. (They did). After that, walking through the I found Arie and Cheryl playing roulette (their game of choice), so I watched and then we went to the martini bar area and chatted for a bit. Late afternoon today was the Captain’s Club Music and Mixology event. We’ve never been, but we’re meeting Jenny and Charlie, so we headed up. It was fun - the bar staff demonstrated making a drink and then it was served to all. While drinking the band played, so we danced some. At one point the bartender dropped a bottle of vodka, so we danced around that. After that was over, we headed to the martini bar for for a while because it was too early for dinner. We chatted for a while and then headed to Blu. It was a bit more crowded than last time, and we were seated at a table by the wall. I started with the short rib appetizer, which our server recommended. It was good. For my main, I had the beef kabob with bastion rice fro the main dining. Kabab was pretty good and the rice was good as well. For dessert I had the strawberry cake, and I’m not quite sure about it. It looks a bit odd, but tasted good. After dinner we went back to Rendezvous for the set of the SeaGulls (party band). This cruise has been great in that we had two good bands to dance to. When the set ended we headed up to the room and called it a night. Another sea day tomorrow.