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JustinCMH

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    Champagne bar

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    I wanted to put in a special review of the Champagne Bar.

     

    I was on Independence from March 25-30 this year. Like many RCI ships, Indy has the Champagne Bar, which specializes in cocktails. I am a big fan of speakeasies and prohibition-style cocktails, and this bar did not disappoint. Bartenders Nicolai and Emilian and mixologist Doran did a fantastic job at a few tasks I find important for any bar like this:

     

    1) Maintaining and serving their own menu of curated drinks. They had a 2 pg spread of cocktails and, based on random selection, served all of the ones I ordered very nicely. Each drink had a distinct flavor profile, and it was clear that they (or, perhaps someone centrally) had thoroughly thought out the recipe and trained the bartenders properly.

     

    2) Skillfully preparing many classic and custom-made cocktails. I usually test a bartender with a Negroni and a classic Daiquiri. These drinks are the grilled cheese and the onion soup of bartending: simple drinks with simple ingredients and little room for error. All three were excellently prepared with great proportions. They made excellent Sazeracs and were each able to make well-proportioned off menu drinks based off of a base spirit and profile (e.g. "I want something citrus-forward with rum").

     

    3) Great knowledge base. They knew all of the scotches and bourbons and other base spirits behind the bar and could readily provide recommendations.

     

    4) Keeping the drinks flowing, the bar antics entertaining, and the wait times short. These three had a great banter that worked well among one another for the duration of the cruise. The wait times were never too long. They knew me by name by day 2. They had a great workflow that maintained efficiency even during rush hours.

     

    There is only one thing I hope will change. That $12 cap on drinks for the deluxe package? Menu drinks here are $13. You will be charged for that extra dollar, and oftentimes picking a call drink or a classic cocktail was easier than picking one of their $13 curated drinks and waiting for a receipt to sign. $13 was not surprising; most curated bars like this set their price point at $12-16 per drink. However, it was annoying that a drinks package intended to cover most drinks did not fully cover any of the drinks on their printed cocktail menu. Other than that, I had a great time at the Champagne Bar. If my experience is representative of the Champagne bar on other ships, I strongly recommend making this one of your key stops on your next RCI cruise.

     

     

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    ROYAL NOW CHARGES for ROOM SERVICE - Extra Expense for Disabled Traveler

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    This is patently false.

     

    An interior room or an accessible interior room, a JS or an accessible JS, a balcony room or an accessible balcony room... all cost the same for regular vs accessible within the same category.

     

    Go ahead, show me the pricing option for an accessible room that is more than the price for the equivalent standard room.

     

    You won't show me that situation, because IT DOES NOT EXIST.

     

     

    I think they seem higher because, when people are booking rooms, they are more likely to select the accessible room. People waiting for sales done select these rooms because they have already been taken. I don't think the rooms have an intrinsically different price.

     

     

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    ROYAL NOW CHARGES for ROOM SERVICE - Extra Expense for Disabled Traveler

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    Booked my first royal cruise in strong part because of the policy regarding children in the suite lounges. Two months after, they changed that policy and allowed kids. I was torqued, but I didn't cancel because I had read the fine print. The one that states the line can make changes at any time.

     

    So guess you could board, make a huge stink and demand to be granted an exemption( and probably get it) and then never book another with Royal again.

     

    Or you could plan ahead since you actually get advanced notice about your mealtime needs

     

     

    Sent from my iPad using Forums

     

     

    I can see both sides of this argument.

     

    Yes, RCI is perfectly entitled to make changes under the auspices of their red print. That doesn't mean it's a good idea. Too many last minute changes and instances of inaccurate info on their website, and customers will go to other lines and profit goes down.

     

    If room service is important enough to you to take time out of your schedule complaining about it. then complain away to RCI. They can decide whether it is worth their time and money to comp your fees or not. Frankly, it's a lot easier for them to waiver $100 worth of fees (assuming you do still tip) than for the family oriented cruise line to continue to ban kids from the diamond lounge, so I bet they would say "yes". Whether you should be exempted because of a disability or because the change in room service was not clear when you booked is food for thought for RCI to determine whether they are better off waiving your room service fees; you won't get a fee waiver if you don't ask for one. And RCI isn't doing it for compassion's sake, they're considering it to mitigate their risk of revenue decrease from angered customers.

     

     

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    ROYAL NOW CHARGES for ROOM SERVICE - Extra Expense for Disabled Traveler

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    The question I would ask anyone that questions the nickel and diming, as well as, the constant upselling that takes place onboard, would they prefer that all of this be included in the cruise fare? If I look at average cabin fares since I started cruising in 2000, it appears to me that fares have not increased as fast as the rate of inflation. However, costs have definitely increased for the cruise line. This would lead one to believe that cruising is a better value now than it was in years past. The upside of the lower cruise fare is that you can decide which upsells you wish to purchase. So what it most important to all of you? Cheap fares or all inclusive?

     

    And to the OP, the food is still free. You simply now have to pay a service charge for room service. No different than paying for delivery when ordering a pizza. Albeit, a most expensive fee.

     

     

    Fully agreed. I do not like paying for things I don't use, even if that fee is an implicit fee from a higher cabin fare. Cheaper fares have also made cruising more accessible for my friends and family, and there is no substitute a cruise ship can provide for being able to enjoy cruising with them.

     

     

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    Izumi Suggestions

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    For most sushi restaurants, if you tell the chef to prepare a selection of their choice or of whatever they recommend, they usually oblige and it is fantastic. This is called omakase in Japan (ok, just a little different, but the core concept of giving the chef free reign to determine the menu and courses still stands). You might even get 1-2 entrees that are not on the menu this way.

     

    To be clear, I have never eaten at Izumi, but this style of ordering is a staple of Japanese restaurants. Therefore, my suggestion is to try asking for the chef to take free reign over the menu in this way, I hope they would do it.

     

     

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    No-Alcohol drinks package - worth it?

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    Yes, for better or for worse, you have the correct price.

     

    I personally don't think it is worth it, I couldn't see myself possibly getting enough non-alcoholic beverages to make up for the per-day spend. Maybe if you enjoy 4-5 mocktails nightly and a few at the pool, and fill your travel-sized toiletries with rum and vodka to get a whopping 8-9 alcoholic drinks over the course of your cruise, you might get close to the per-day value, but mocktails are so cloyingly sweet that I can only do 1-2 a day at best, and I can't say I want alcohol so badly as to go through the hassle of such a system. Others may feel differently.

     

    As far as why the price premium, I think it's an engineered pricing strategy to get people buying alcohol-based drinks to think they're getting a better deal. I can see someone thinking it's only $20-23 more per day for the deluxe package.

     

     

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    First cruise with Royal - anything else I need to do?

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    Suggest flying into your departure port a day early (if you haven't already booked flights) and determining in advance how you will get from your hotel to the port on departure day (taxi, Uber, shuttle, etc.). We target to get to the port a little before 11:00am so that we can start our vacation ASAP. Ignore any email messages that you may receive saying that you should arrive for boarding at a later time (unless it's a message saying that boarding will be delayed for everyone because the ship is being delayed).

     

    Edit: and enjoy your cruise!

     

     

    O H …

    … I O!

     

     

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    First cruise with Royal - anything else I need to do?

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    Here's my checklist:

     

    - If you booked via a travel agent, print out their paperwork too. They may, for example, use a different booking number than the RCI booking number.

    - Call your credit card, let them know you're traveling. More for when you disembark. Check whether they charge foreign transaction fees while you're at it. AmEx is pretty good at seeing that you paid for a vacation and expecting that you're going on the vacation you paid for.

    - Photocopy and email and print the ID page of your passport to yourself, in case you lose your passport.

    - Check to see if you need any visas or immunizations for the places you are visiting.

    - If you have a smartphone and are returning to the US, download an app called Mobile Passport. You can use this when you return to the US in lieu of a printed form for customs.

    - Also download your airline's app if you are flying to your port. That way, you can check in online when you disembark.

    - Make sure your luggage tags are intact and that your bags have identification inside and outside.

    - Papers from your health and travel insurance, at minimum your policy number and how to contact them.

    - Take a photo of your bags if you check them. Much easier to show the clerk what you bag looks like than to describe it when 8:00 rolls around and you don't have it.

    - I agree with printing or saving PDF copies of everything. If you find out that excursion you planned or that on-board credit you were promised isn't showing up, paper is better evidence than nothing.

     

    All of this is stuff you can do now. Toss it all into one folder and relax, knowing it's all ready to go if you need it.

     

     

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    Sip and Stream is back, check your cruise planner

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    Does anyone know how often they run this promotion?

     

     

    I wouldn't plan on seeing it anytime soon. 2-3 people on this thread have confirmed in their dialogue with RCI staff that it was a technical mistake to offer this package.

     

    With that said, I wouldn't rule out seeing it again. RCI is probably figuring out where they want to set the price for it, which is why it was in the system to be the target of a technical error.

     

     

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    Arriving FLL at 6AM, what do do until we can board at noon?

    in Florida Departures

    Posted

    PS: FLL is not a small airport.

     

     

    All things relative I suppose. It is about the same size as PDX, but certainly no JFK or O'Hare so you won't see lounges with showers or by-the-hour sleeping pods.

     

    - For the price of a hotel room, you may be able to upgrade your family's seats to your airline's version of Premium Economy. It is a lot easier for me to sleep on a plane with free drinks and extra legroom.

    - I support using the Delta lounge. They have a quiet area in the back with lounge chairs perfect for resting. No showers at the FLL lounge, though. Also, you will want to be comfortable with Delta holding your checked bags until after you leave security.

     

     

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    Boxing ring on Independence?

    in Fitness, Spa & Sports Cruises

    Posted

    Good morning,

     

    I saw a few comments that RCI's Independence of the Seas has a boxing ring. Is this true? Are there other boxing and martial arts equipment available? I don't see it noted anywhere on the deck layout. I practice Krav Maga and wouldn't mind an opportunity to keep my skills up with a punching bag.

     

    Thanks,

    Justin

     

     

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    Champagne?

    in Carnival Cruise Lines

    Posted

    I didn't even think about this. I would hope they allow champagne. Champagne is wine. Nothing could be worth arguing with masses of people about how their champagne has to be confiscated because it isn't wine.

     

     

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    Order of Excellence

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    I'd rank Princess the highest if by "quality" you mean expectation of a high-end luxury experience based on prior reputation (as in Nordstrom is a higher quality brand than Walmart), HAL is a very close second, and Carnival a faraway third. The market agrees; Princess cruises are generally more expensive.

     

    Keep in mind that people define brand quality in different terms. Also, other factors may make one cruise line more enjoyable for you than brand quality alone. For example, Princess ships are generally larger than HAL, but this may or may not be a positive aspect depending on your preferences. Finally, I'm biased in that I have sailed with Princess but not HAL. Others who have sailed with both (or neither) may be able to present less biased opinions.

     

     

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