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31 minutes ago, papaflamingo said:

I always love a good conspiracy.  So I'm curious, exactly WHY does the cruiseline want to "keep everyone in the dark?"  What do you think the purpose or advantage is to them and disadvantage is to us? 

The advantage to the cruise lines is that they get to advertise lower cruise fares since the wages are lower.  But since they advertise the fare, there must be a way to only pay that amount.  If gratuities were a mandatory expense over and above the advertised fare the cruise lines would face lawsuits over false advertising claims.

What's the disadvantage to us?  We are deceived into thinking the price of the cruise is one thing, when it's really something else.  But as consumers in the US we are more accustomed to this, since it happens every time we dine at a restaurant, get in a taxi cab, etc.

So you get 4 3oz pours of wine and if you purchased the drink package you only get 25% off?  Sorry, but that sounds like a total rip off.

Thank you so much!  That did the trick!  I was trying to get my new reservations entered before cancelling the old ones.  You know, in case something went wrong...  Which it did.... 🙄

Anyway, I'm all set now.  Thank you!

So entertainment is now available to book for my cruise on Harmony, and I have several shows booked already.  But I wanted to move some things around.  I hadn't booked the ice show, so I wanted to book that, and I want to book the comedy show on a different night than I have it now.  But every time I try to add a show to my cart I get an error message.  Anyone ever come across this and know how to get around it?

Our Harmony cruise January 12 opened show reservations last week, somewhere between 70 and 80 days.  I know we're all excited about our next cruise. but don't stress about getting everything booked the very first day things open.  The shows don't seem to fill up THAT fast.

1 hour ago, Sea Dog said:

I still don’t feel comfortable using the iPhone for a underwater camera. I would go with a Go-Pro for underwater photography.

I accidentally took my XS in with me (along with my wallet) while in St. Kitts and it didn't skip a beat, but I totally understand.  The water proof phone cases work well too as long as you aren't going scuba diving.

9 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

I went from the 6s also so it was a great upgrade. The first thing you will notice is the battery power. Mine never got a low battery indication after using it all day and taking ton's of pictures. The only I don't like is that it is very thin and even with a case and where the 3 lens camera array is, it's easy to get your fingers in the way. I may need to invest in hand held Osmo.

The crazy thing is, the 11 pros are thicker than the 6s.  The added slipperyness is due to the glass back and the polished metal sides.  I’ve heard people refer to them as bars of soap more than once.  Apple’s silicon and leather cases add much needed gripiness.

You’ll have a blast, Symphony is a great ship!  At least I think so.  Though according to some you’ll be slumming it with food worse than McDonald’s. 🤣🤣🤣

On 10/21/2019 at 1:30 PM, Sea Dog said:

Make it Safe.

 

 

The  Safego portable beach safe. Loved the sense of safety for a place to put phones and money.

I really like the idea of this thing, but it looks so bulky.  Not sure I would want to pack such a giant thing in my luggage.  I wonder if TSA ever has issues with these in checked luggage too.

I think you’ll get more finger wagging on these forums than you will onboard if you don’t dress for formal night.

Messaging was not supported when I was on Symphony in January, but the RCI app does seem to have been updated to support messaging now.  At least that’s what it says for my upcoming cruise on Harmony.  You can check now.  Just download the app to your phone and login.  If you see the chat bubble in the top right corner then it sounds like it will work.  Only requirement is that others in your party connect to the sip’s WiFi.

You've already gotten lots of options so far, so I won't repeat what others have already suggested.  I'll just add that my wife has some very specific dietary needs and the staff bend over backwards to accommodate her.  They did way more than any restaurant at home has ever done.  And do bring food with you.  Even if you never use it, it will serve as a security blanket that you know you will have something to fallback on.  Sometimes eliminating stress in ways like that can be just as useful.  As long as it's prepackaged you won't have any problems.

16 hours ago, PROCRUISE said:

This will only be my second cruise with RCCL. Have cruised with most of the main lines and especially with Celebrity.

 

Since we have select dining in the MDR I forgot that one can select times. So I went into our reservation and was doing "fine" until one date would not take any selected time. So, I called RCCL. A nice young male presentative went through every evening that I had selected, including the one that was not being accepted. He assured me, "you're all set for each night."

 

After hanging up, I opened our reservation to find that EVERY single evening had been rejected and we could check when onboard to see of there were any openings for the times selected.

 

I recalled RCCL and spoke with a female representative. I explained what I had just gone through and asked, can't we just go to the MDR when we want and just wait for a table for two, or join others when one is available. Of course you can, she said, So no real significant complaint but why did the male representative put me through the dog and pony show and tell me we were all set, when indeed, we were not. Just asking, not complaining.

Are you expecting an actual answer?  I don’t think anyone here can possibly know.  The only way to know for sure would be to ask that representative directly.  If you want speculation then it could be any number of things: lack of experience, poor training, poor IT systems, you called during the wrong phase of the moon, etc.

1 hour ago, Another_Critic said:

 

YMMV, but I pre-booked 7:15 each night for Adventure in Sept. and pre-booked 7:00 each night for Grandeur in Nov.

5 minutes ago, Bestbubba said:

Same here, 7.15 pm, 14 nights, Explorer in November. Maybe it differs ship to ship? 

Yep, I’ve pre-booked 7:00 for each night on Harmony in January.

Since the OP was talking about negative reviews I realized it might be helpful to link to a positive review.  Here’s one I wrote earlier this year: 

4 hours ago, Crism said:

We were on Symphony in August, and it was AWESOME! Food in the MDR was great, and the ship is absolutely gorgeous. I stopped reading reviews other than ones posted on this forum a LONG time ago. 😉

We were on her in January and this was our experience as well.  We loved absolutely everything about the ship, and the food was great.

4 hours ago, lovrccl said:

We just got off last week. This was our 33rd RC cruise. The service was great no issues there. The ice show and Hairspray had technical difficulty but they were able to fix it after 15 to 20 minutes. We ate at Hooked and my lobster tail was mush as was my husband's whole lobster. My salmon was good. Solarium Bistro was ok, but won't do again. If McDonald's is your go to food then you will like the dining room. We have higher expectations and RCs food has declined over the years.  Dining room food was ok, sometimes even good, but never great. However the lobster there was good. Our ship was full and always seems very crowded. We have done all the Oasis class ship's but won't go again. Most people dresses casual, as that was dress code except for 2 formal nights. That was a mix.

I've seen you posting negative experiences with Symphony several times now, and I just don't know how to explain how you had such a bad experience when lots of others, including myself, have reported the opposite.  I almost wonder if the OP is reacting to your posts.  Are you perhaps being hyperbolic?  Not ONCE did we have a meal, in ANY venue, that was as bad as McDonalds.  Maybe the pre-cooked hamburgers in WJ, but those are easily avoided and there were plenty of other good options to choose from.

Royal really needs to step up their game in this area.  I was at Great American Beer Fest two weeks ago and Carnival had a pretty decently sized end-cap booth, all of the beers they brew themselves, as well as several of their brew masters talking to attendees.  I've never been on Carnival before, so it was the first chance I've had to sample what they offer.  They were all pretty good to my taste.  Not quite as good as Stone IPA perhaps, but still quite tasty and a good variety of styles.  Royal needs to do more to offer a larger variety of beers in more areas of their ships.  Obviously the Funky Buddha partnership is evidence of them testing the waters and looking for a partner that can meet their needs.  Hopefully it proves to be successful and expands.

1 hour ago, micmacmissy said:

 

Yikes - really?  We went on Allure several years ago and the food was great...in particular the specialty restaurants.

 

Was it the MDR, buffet?  Or all over?

Honestly we had the exact opposite experience on Symphony in January.  Food was good everywhere we went, but it wasn't the best food I've ever had.  I think some people go to the MDR expecting fine dining and high class everything.  Is your steak going to beat something at Ruth's Chris?  No.  Is it going to be as good or better than Outback?  Yes.  Is the WJ going to be better than the buffet at the Aria in Las Vegas?  No.  Is it going to be better than Golden Corral?  Yes.  Go in with the proper expectations (which you will since you were on Allure) and you won't be disappointed.

34 minutes ago, SRQbeachgirl said:

I won't fly to the next STATE on the same day as a cruise, much less a different continent. 

This.  All it takes is a missed connection and/or a customs agent who decides it’s your day for some “special treatment” and your trip is ruined.

16 minutes ago, davekathy said:

30 minutes or less, disagree. 30 minutes or longer, agree. Post #3. 

I think we all understand what the policy IS.  We’re suggesting that it should be amended.

On 10/14/2019 at 6:46 AM, Nutsok said:

Ok, opinion on this. The wife and I layout everyday. Some days when it’s so hot, we end up standing in the pool almost all day minus the occasional going back to the chairs for sun block, oil or chapstick. Am I supposed to remove my stuff so someone can sit there?  Or are one of you chair police going to remove my stuff because you believe I’m just hogging a chair?

See, situations like this are why all of this is so sticky in my mind.  For me I think it depends on WHICH chair you are taking up.  Is your chair one of the clam-shell day beds, one of the ones in the water by the beach pool, or right in front of the glass in the Solarium?  Or is it one toward the back or even the deck above the pools (deck 16 on Oasis class)?  On Symphony in January you could usually find one or two chairs SOMEWHERE, just not in prime locations.  If you're using your chair mainly for storage while you enjoy the pool then I think the courteous thing to do would be to use a chair in a non-prime location.

The problem is, how the hell would Royal enforce a policy like that?  I agree that having some sort of storage cubbies would be great, ideally by the towel stations.  Otherwise, I would like to see them at least be more strict with the day beds.  There shouldn't be a 30 minute rule for those at all.  There should always be a butt in them or they're free for the taking, stuff or not.  Do you have one, by yourself, and you need to go to the bathroom?  Too bad.

16 minutes ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

Price a JS.  You may be able to move up for less than before.

I priced an extended balcony and it was nearly double what I paid for a regular balcony.

30 minutes ago, Merion_Mom said:

Prices definitely dropped on all of my January cruises.

Sadly, all the balconies are sold out on my Harmony cruise in January.  So no way to tell if there was a drop or not.

The feedback I got last year was that VOOM will work just great for keeping in touch, including WiFi calling.  I went ahead and got the stream option as well though.  Everything worked great.  The only reason I regretted getting it was because it meant that I was reachable by other people as well.  I was hoping to unplug during the trip, and having the phone on me prevented that from happening.  Still there are other ways around that, and I'm going to be much more diligent on my next cruise.

22 hours ago, vacationlover_mn said:

Random advice... I love Oasis class 🙂. I really recommend midship, decks 6-8, by the stairs.  This central location lets you easily move around the ship.  I love deck 7, and I’ve found it to be quiet.  On Oasis class, we’ve always had the normal balcony, and find it fine.  However, when we’ve had connecting rooms, we do sometimes get boise from the neighbors...

I'll echo this.  We were on deck 8 on Symphony and we loved being just around the corner from Central Park.  We would typically end our night by finding a chair and listening to the relaxing piano or classical guitar music they have.  It was a great way to unwind at the end of each exciting and packed day.  We have the exact same room on Harmony in January.

As for the balcony size, you're basically talking about whether you are able to fit a lounger which can lay flat, or just a regular lounge chair with footstool.  We found that the regular chair was plenty and if we wanted to lay down we went to the Solarium.

5 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said:

 

Correct, the OP nearly two years asked the question and received the official answer, which is NO.  Royal Caribbean does not officially have a policy where they give discounts for bariatric patients.  Anytime that they have it was up to the discretion of the restaurant/food & beverage manager just as it is whenever you eat anywhere and ask for the same accommodation.

 

But this is a message board where all yes/no questions devolve into discussions.  Everyone is entitled to an opinion and by reading through all of them perhaps folks can understand why a large for-profit corporation doesn't officially make this kind of exception but also be able to see the plight of post-operative WLS patients.  I mean I had the surgery and I'm going to struggle with my weight and food for my entire life similar to how an alcoholic has a lifetime struggle.  I didn't see anything in this thread that struck me as an attack on my chosen lifestyle (and medically necessary or not..having this surgery IS a choice)

People didn't just answer the question.  They mocked the OP, called her question a joke, called into question her morality for even asking it, and made statements along the lines of how they would never want to be on a cruise with someone like her.  If you don't see that as an attack then I don't know what to tell you.