jchiefs13

On 3/15/2023 at 2:16 AM, Derryank said:

 

Has anyone had Ricky before as CD? Thoughts? Headed on OTS next month. Thanks for your input. 

Yes, he was entertaining and energetic... he was also right on the edge of inappropriate and I am not easily offended.

JM

On 2/11/2023 at 2:59 PM, Cuckoo7 said:

My favorite is Paradise Beach due, in large part, to the pool.  Sanchos is fun.  We enjoyed the atmosphere at Nachi, but on our trip last fall, the availability of servers paled in comparison to the other two.  We had to get up and go to the bar/dining area for drinks/food because they rarely came by.

I JUST heard about Paradise Beach... and it sounds like a try vs returning to my favorite so far (Sanchos) but it seems like there wasn't as much with regard to food choices.  Do you have any insight/comparison to offer?

Thanks!

JM

I have been to both pre-pandemic.  I'll put it like this, I am returning to Cozumel on my next cruise and I'm thinking about going back to Mr Sanchos. :)

I was looking for the "current concierge/diamond ambassador" thread and came up empty handed.  Another loss to the pandemic I suppose.

Just wanted to chime in and say I adore Francis while bumping this question up.

JM

If you book before the end of March to sail before the end of Sept w your credits you fall under the 48 hour cancelation deal w no $ penalty - I forget what they call it.  

I was assured I could then cancel and shift wo penalty by multiple RC customer support folks.

I would rather sail, but if their rules still prevent our home from setting sail, I don't lose my $.  That will do for me.

Judy

On 1/9/2019 at 1:47 AM, Merion_Mom said:

 

The passage about needing an official birth certificate is if you do NOT have a passport.

And I believe that is only acceptable on closed circuit cruises (meaning the cruise starts and ends in the same US port).

On 8/16/2018 at 9:48 AM, Homosassa said:

 

I hope they are not adding any more rooms. If they are, they will have to liberally coat passengers in oil and have them sleep head to toe and in layers.

 

*laugh*  Isn't that the truth!

She was a tight squeeze, especially since we had an interior with three people when I met her sailing out of Philly, but a lovely gal none the less.

Judy

Interesting.  Since we're not married my guy isn't Diamond Plus like I am, but our daughter instantly was after her first sailing completed.

Judy

Personally, on Quantum I did iFly twice because it is SO much fun.  I could easily spend lots of time by the flowrider too - both participating and watching!  When I'm done on any of my Royal Caribbean trips I often find myself at the last day thinking "gee, we didn't go do THIS yet".  There will also be other activities on the cruise compasses and remember that there are separate compasses and additional activities for the younger groups.

As someone else said, it really depends on your desires.  For me, it's important to also schedule some time to sit and people watch, look out over the ocean, or just sit and talk or maybe pull out a game.  As with any vacation, it is what you make of it.  If you're there to make memories I think you'll be ok.

Judy

Correcting indo came after we sailed... Francis C is concierge on Grandeur not Kumar.

Sorry for any confusion.

Judy

Fyi Kumar Kunchapudi is on Grandeur (today)... I can't hit the doc from phone to update.

Judy

I am taking my first cruise in September on the new Symphony of the Seas leaving out of Barcelona. It includes stops for for Florence and Rome, but looking at excursion it seems we would spend more time getting there than actually being there. How much can you actually see in a few hours in such iconic places? Are there closer alternatives worth seeing?

ROME YOU MUST! If you know you'll get to go back someday no biggie, but ask yourself if you will be back, will you get this chance again?

For me, part of the adventure in heading into Rome from Civitavecchia was getting to the train station, buying a ticket from the ticket machine and getting there. You CAN plan this on your own if you're reasonably able-bodied which means you aren't waiting for the cattle call excursion, which would slow you down and take even longer to get there wasting more of your precious time. You can do it for a LOT less $ too - not that that should stop you because, again - when will you get this chance again?

The bigger question is where to go in Rome - because even if it was 5 minutes from the port there is so much to do you couldn't possibly see it all in one day. The coin I tossed in the Trevi on my first visit blessed me and I was able to return a second time, and there are still lots of things I'd like to do there or return to.

Florence is quite far from La Spezia. When we were there on Harmony in 2016 we did a tour of Cinque Terre. Well worth it!

YES. Cinque Terre was amaaaaazing and closer to La Spezia. If you were porting in Livorno then head to Pisa and Florence. Florence wasn't my very favorite. It was nice, don't get me wrong - but given where you'll be coming from Cinque Terre is definitely a more appealing option.

Cinque Terre is, for the record, another place that while amazing - I can imagine would be hard if you are not able to walk on uneven surfaces or easily get on/off the boats they move between stops on.

Judy

Dear all,

 

First RCI cruise......so from my understanding....there is no fresh grilled burgers and fries (like Guy's joint).....cafeteria style burgers and hots probably in some big metal container of "juice" on the buffet and soggy fries......No Blue Iguana or anything comparable to that on RCI.....

 

What great "FREE" food items does RCI have?!?! What is there to eat for lunch?!?!!? What am I missing here?!?!

I'm not trying to be a jerk when I say this, really I'm not... but I bet they offer some of those things even in the main dining room when they're not on the menu - you'd just have to ask what they have for kids.

It's been a years since I've sailed, but I cannot imagine things changed so much that my response is no longer valid.

IMHO They have lots of decent food. I don't want burgers/hot dogs/fries. BUT... I recall them having burgers and fries in the Windjammer OFTEN if not every day and burgers at lunch in the main dining room many days. Often they have a BBQ pool side one of the at sea days too - which includes the typical fare.

Judy

It's been a few years but my most recent departure from BCN I stayed at the Hostal BCN Port. It's basic, but it served the purpose and was an easy walk to Las Ramblas and the port.

Previous stay we were at the B Hotel, which was nice - but was a good bit further to get in to the goodies.

Judy

They recently revamped the website... so I'm not even certain you could alter these settings if you logged in. Yes, tell your travel agent to call RC directly. Sorry, but they really should know that. IMHO - I'm happy to be my own travel agent so I don't need someone else to make these calls for me.

One of the times I met the upgrade fairy she nailed me taking away my Promenade room, which I had been looking forward to, so I get your sentiment.

Judy

Looks interesting, thanks Bob!

 

FYI - I have some ideas mapped out, was just looking for additional ideas for places to visit or things to do in those areas, in case there are some "wow" things to do or see.

 

Has anyone checked out Fort Fincastle or Fort Charlotte in Nassau?

Hi ZambiniGold,

Have you checked out our Roll Call Thread: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2489476

I did walk to Fort Fincastle like 11 years ago. The queens staircase on the way are pretty funky - seemed like we were in a jungle all of a sudden. Looking back at my photos I recall that it had ok views and there was a nice cool breeze to reward you once you got up there.

After the fact we (my gal pal and I) were told we shouldn't have walked there alone. *shrug* it seemed okay to me. Either way make sure it's in your safe/comfort level.

Looking forward to seeing you onboard!

Judy

I can't offer information on the owner's suite, but I stayed in aft jr suites on Grandeur. There were 4 of us (adults) and we had space to put everything we brought away! We also didn't feel crammed - as the steward would close up the couch during the day.

That said - IMHO the owner's suite would be HUGE! :D

If nothing else, hopefully bumping this up with get someone's eyes on your inquiry that has some insight.

-Judy

Baby in dining room is ok as long as s/he is wearing a suit or dress on formal night.

*LAUGH* We packed the formal diapers too!

The dining room is the BEST place for youngsters! You are seated and SERVED! No juggling plates, utensils and kids! Yes...they are welcomed!

I didn't think about that aspect. Ugh. I'm not a fan of the windjammer to begin with, but given that it's always packed my 'group' usually finds a seat and all but one person goes to gather food first - so at least that part won't be an adjustment for me.

I have a very pleasant baby, I'm just hoping we're not pushing our luck being in the dining room as her bed time nears if she is too interested in things around her to fall asleep!

Judy

I know this is an 'old' post, but I wanted to answer questions as of 4/2018 based on my planning and conversations w/ RC. We will be traveling w/ an 8 month old.

- I was told that they can provide distilled water to us to mix formula FOR FREE - so no need to haul it onboard. I did make sure it was noted on our reservation however and will ask our attendant immediately upon boarding to make sure enough if available for us.

- Food - they have no issue w/ us bringing her food onboard, but I am avoiding the glass jars just in case. I don't want to end up in the naughty room.

- We requested a pack and play for the room, so we should have somewhere safe for baby to sleep.

- I was also told that I COULD bring a bottle warmer.

- They also gave us the option to put a real fridge in the room (since the ones built in don't really get cold enough to prevent spoilage of open formula or breastmilk). Again, you'd need to contact them in advance, but we opted to not go this route to save space and to just mix formula as we need it.

- I purchased a bowl that has a little masher with it so we can take advantage of some of the veggies that baby is already familiar with.

- If you're already feeding baby yogurt, don't forget that too is available in the wind jammer and a great option for breakfast and to help keep baby's guts regular while away.

So excited to take my wee one on her first cruise!

Judy

Shoot. Sell it on ebay for a couple of bucks instead of throwing it away! :)

Judy

Had a nice dinner this evening. The sugar-free dessert was excellent. If it didn't say sugar-free I would have never believed it.

YES! Some of them are amazing, like the sugar free key lime desserts.

We'll be on Grandeur next week, my fifth cruise with her. She is our favorite for a few reasons.

-Judy

Defn call the front desk. I've had to do so due to noise in the middle of the night before - they were able to figure out what I was hearing and make it stop!

Judy

I love RC, but their website _is_ horrible. It doesn't stop me from cruising with them, but I am sure it costs them money and business. Yes, I am ashamed for them sometimes when I introduce someone new to RC and they say "gee, their website is...[insert less than complimentary comment here]".

They often roll new stuff out that seems like it was never tested. It certainly needs to be created and tested to ensure it works in all of the major browsers and it (by far) does not. Often I have to try multiple browsers and even multiple computers (I use both Windows and Linux) to see which environment the portion of the site I'd like to use will work on.

Judy

I'd add them now too. As others indicated if your supplement is 100% then the only difference is the taxes and gratuities which to my understanding they are good about refunding/removing if the other person doesn't show. Plus, also as previously indicated, you can always bring someone else along.

But the one thing others did not say is congrats! I know what it is like to seek the right person, to worry about planning things like this too soon, and all of that. If you've talked about the cruise and they're interested in joining you I think it's safe to say they're not too worried about your relationship status and if you're not then go for it! You WILL learn a lot about someone on vacation and I pray that it allows you to fall for one another even more.

God bless,

Judy

I did the excursion to Delos as well - which was awesome, but it ate up the whole day and I didn't really get to see but a half an hour of Mykonos. To me the best part was when we pulled back to Mykonos proper, I got off of the excursion boat, bought a little donut like treat, and we walked some of the streets. The sun was setting and it was gorgeous. Then we walked along the water back to the pier.

Sorry I don't have great advice to offer for Mykonos, but thank for bringing a fond memory to mind and allowing me to reminisce!

Judy