MacMarauder

This is a bummer, I really liked the fish and chips at Michaels.

I enjoyed both but prefer Anthem. Since you've already been on Harmony I would go with Anthem to try out a new class.

I'm a late boarder too! With young kids it works really well because they can get naps in before you board. I also like going directly to our room to drop things off which you can't do if you show up early. I understand people are excited to get on the ship but you have the whole week, no reason to fight through crowds just to get on a couple hours early (IMHO of course!).

If they were arguing/fighting do you really need another adult to tell you you should have called security... really!!!

 

As far as your prudish attitude towards the sound of getting laid. Why would you even think of calling security on them for that???

 

Unreal...

 

 

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In fairness to the OP there is a certain volume that is considered unacceptable in a hotel.

Wow, that is good to know - thanks for the heads up. I really like the refundable deposit and don't mind paying a couple hundred bucks for it.

Nice, very entertaining so far. Reminds me of the first cruise my wife and I went on, we were also 20-30 years younger than than the average passenger. Great pictures!

I tried to have flowers on my last cruise in January - started trying to order in November but kept freezing up as described above. Finally gave up.

I tried to buy something for my last cruise way back in March of last year and had this problem, I eventually gave up as well. Amazing that it is still not working!

I assumed that Royal would have a separate suite complex equivalent to The Haven or Yacht Club on the new Icon class. However I am surprised that they are trying this on Spectrum. Should be interesting to see the new deck plan.

Interesting, staying until 11pm sounds cool! However, I'm not sure what the point of sleeping on the private island would be. I mean if you want to stay on an island just book an AI. Also it seems like a waste docking the ship for the entire night so a couple suite guests could stay in cabanas. I was docked overnight on Anthem in Nassau and I prefer the motion of the ocean at night, that's part of the reason I like cruises.

I would hope not.

LOL I'm with you, one reason I go on cruises is to get away from nonsense like the royal family!

It would be easier to help if you could let us know what ship/itinerary you are on and approximately how much you paid. One tip is that if the price goes down you can re-book to save the difference (as long as it's before final payment is due).

The reality of this situation is every room on every cruise ship this exact same thing will be found.

 

Further, the exact same thing will be found in your own home. Every home, I don't care how well you think you keep your house clean. The difference is in your house it is all your hair and dead skin.

 

Here is my problem with OP's demand for compensation. They are willing to accept 50% off a future cruise. A cruise in a cabin that they know they will find the exact same thing in.

 

If this disgusts you, because it is other peoples hair and dead skin don't cruise and don't stay in hotels. Any of them, no matter how expensive or supposedly well maintained. Sure the carpet and the base boards may be cleaner, but there ventilation system won't be. I'm not talking about any filters that may or may not exist in the room I'm talking about the duct work and coils, and heat exchangers in the HVAC system. The stuff that is just impacted with dead skin cells, hair and dust mites from all the previous occupants of any given hotel.

 

I don't think I'm making my point. Forget hotels and cruise ships, what about the office where you work? There is an HVAC system there too, there are door knobs, elevator buttons, key boards, phones, etc. How much dried spit, and food is in the phone you use every day at work? No one is singing washy washy songs by the restrooms, how much fecal matter is on the door knobs and elevator buttons?

 

Let's go further. There are standards set by the government of acceptable levels of contaminants in the food we all eat everyday. That means all food has some bits of bugs, or ****, or urine, or ground up rodent pieces in it. As long as it doesn't go over a specified amount it is considered safe for human consumption.

 

The stuff the human body sheds minute to minute is absolutely disgusting. If you leave your house you will be exposed to it.

 

The OP deserves no compensation by RCCL. The OP staying in that cabin added their own filth to it for the next person.

 

For those saying it should have been cleaned better, what about what can't be cleaned? Specifically the mattress. A mattress almost doubles in weight in 7 years. That weight is dead skin and dust mites. Should RCCL replace the mattress after every cruise? You can put a thousand sheets on the bed, it won't make a difference in the world. Lay down and you are engulfed in a cloud of microscopic leftovers from your previous fellow cruisers.

I actually think you make some interesting points, another good example is your car. A classic up-sell when you are having work done on your car is for the tech to pull the cabin filter and show it to the customer. The average cabin filter looks every bit as nasty as the filter shown in OP's pictures.

My wife and I are both 2-3 drinks a day people and we have never purchased a package and always came out ahead. However, I don't worry about the numbers until after the vacation is over, I figure if I don't come out ahead it's no big deal.

No you don't have to print off luggage tags. But I do agree with you about having all documents (Setsail passes) including luggage tags printed off ahead of time. We would never show up at the port of embarkation without luggage tags on our luggage and Setsail passes ready to surrender at check-in.

Interesting, I'm curious how this would work. I've always had the porters outside the terminal take our luggage (obviously with tags) and then check ourselves in and get on the ship.

I see the point of paperless, and I agree it works well with the airlines. As someone else mentioned it's great if you need to re-book your flight due to cancellation etc. However on a cruise you still have to print out luggage tags, I print everything necessary and keep it in a folder that stays with me until we get on the ship.

Bon voyage! Loving the pictures, that Renaissance is really cool- I've always had a good experience at their hotels.

RCI's pizza is fine, I don't understand why it gets so much hate on here. I'm glad to have the option especially when you have little kids who would eat pizza 24/7 if they could. It's certainly better than Tombstone lol.

I am more concerned with the bad booze in Mexico including Cozumel. That has been highly publicized including people dying in the Riviera Maya area.

 

 

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Yes, this! The tainted alcohol thing freaks me out. I would rather just drink on the ship even if it more expensive.

Ugh that sucks, my only hope is that the growing backlash over "comfort animals" causes Royal to crackdown on this.

Great pictures of Hooked, I honestly wasn't that excited about it before but the area and menu look fantastic! Kinda makes me want to find some raw oysters this weekend, it's been awhile since I've had them.

This is my only gripe with the Oasis class. Because of the design of the ship there are many areas without an ocean view including all the bars/restaurants in Central Park and the Royal Promenade. Solarium or Boardwalk are your best bets for a water view (aside from all the pool area on the top deck).

I'm 99% sure that our son was charged gratuities when he was 14 months.

My problem isn't that I'm 100% loyal to Royal, it's that as a parent of young kids I feel they have me locked in! The only other cruise line that has the amenities for diaper aged kids is Disney IMO. The most important thing being a pool clearly defined for swim diapers, and a nursery. I'm not a Disney fan (plus their cruises are way too expensive) so Royal is it for another couple years!

I would like to see a Quantum class ship in Florida, although I agree it's unlikely in the next couple years. Based on my experience I slightly prefer Anthem over Allure, although I haven't been on the newer Oasis ships (planning for Harmony next). My guess is that the final "Quantum Ultra" ship will eventually replace Anthem in the NY/NJ area year round but that's pure speculation.

First Icon class seems to be a lock for Florida but that is still a couple years off!

I don’t know what I found more fascinating about this photo . . . The complete lack of chair hogs or the lifeguard standing watch over a completely empty pool and deck . . .

Yea that lifeguard caught my eye as well, Royal should give them a stool to sit on when no one is around! I appreciate the thought behind the program, but man it must be mind-numbing having to "guard" an empty pool.