mickeygirl78

I’d suggest the Viking crown lounge on deck 14. While I haven’t been on voyager in awhile, I was recently on adventure and found that area to be quiet and a good spot to wait.

Unfortunately, no.

These are actually my two favorite ships, odyssey being my favorite and symphony my second favorite. I really liked the layout of odyssey, the ledge in the pool, the seaplex area. I would suggest picking the itinerary/cost that work best for you. I’m sure you’ll have a great time on either one.

I'm a big fan of steak so I mostly eat whatever the steak dish is. I also am not a big fan of sweets and do not eat chocolate, so I can't recommend a lot of desserts. On Welcome Aboard, I enjoy the crab cake, prime rib and cheesecake. Cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts and they don't serve it daily anymore so I always get this. I ordered the Spinach and Artichoke dip one cruise and it came out so rock hard I couldn't even get a fork into it. I have not bothered to try to order that again. France - I love the French Onion Soup and have never had a bad bowl on Royal. I typically order that, beef tenderloin and creme brulee. The tenderloin has always been cooked perfectly and a perfect portion. Caribbean - Not one of my favorite nights. I've typically ordered the strip steak with a side of the tiger shrimp. The steak can be hit or miss with the tenderness but the shrimp have always been good. Mexico - I've typically ordered the Carne Asada without the beans. The first time I ordered it was overcooked and tough but the head waiter noticed and replaced it immediately. What a difference, it was night and day. The second time I ordered it was very good as well. It's flavorful and tender. I also really enjoyed the Tres Leches Cake. Italy - I tend to go to the MDR on Italian night only for the Beef Carpaccio appetizer. I enjoy the one in the MDR just as much as the one at Chops. The main courses are just so so. I typically get either Chicken Parm or Lasagna. Both will fill you up but nothing to write home about. If you don't like something, just tell them and they'll get you something else. I'm sure you will find something you enjoy.

I'm glad I had already called and prepaid them for my November and February cruises. A $2 increase after the increase just a year ago seems steep. I would never remove my tips, but it will make me think twice about tipping above the standard amount.

The Fort Lauderdale port is very close to the airport, it’s my favorite port to sail out of. I personally just take a Lyft or taxi for transportation. I like to stay at Riverside Hotel because I like the location of it.

I sailed adventure in September and would definitely sail her again. The couch in my room was filthy but everything else was fine in there. The ladies room by the solarium had to be closed twice due to toilets backing up. Everything else was great, we commented how well it was maintained and kept. Service was excellent everywhere.

I had a balcony exactly like that on oddessey. We asked our steward for a third chair and he got one for us. It can’t hurt to ask.

I just got off Adventure yesterday. My favorite bar was schooner bar, with the pub ranking a close second. Schooner did get crazy some nights as they had a piano player scheduled and also had football games on.

I got the email too. Congratulations on your upgrade! Looking forward to tomorrow to find out where we will be going. 🙂

When I sailed last September, we were notified the night before sailing of the itinerary change. I’m sailing this Saturday on Adventure so I’ve been watching. The good news is Fort Lauderdale looks good so as long as I’m on the ship I’ll be happy.

French onion soup is always a favorite of mine. The beef tenderloin on formal night has always been good. I was very surprised at how good the skirt steak was on Mexican night - after I got a new one cause the first was significantly over cooked. The head waiter noticed and got me a new plate and it was very tender and flavorful. I also like the fettuccine Alfredo they had, I did request extra sauce and a piece of grilled chicken. That was one of the best meals I had in the mdr.

On Ovation in May they were charging in windjammer. It looked very much like this display. It was by the bread display when you first walked in.

I would renew before the trip and expedite. My passport was expiring April 2024 and I have cruises in Sept and Nov 2023. As the Nov one was within the six months I sent it in as soon as I got home from my May cruise. I paid to expedite it and got it back in six weeks. To me it was worth it to know I was covered if something went wrong and I need to fly home from an island.

I'm really excited to try the non-smoking casino when I sail Oasis later this year. On most of my cruises I only end up gambling for like 20 minutes because the smoke bothers me so much. I think it's great they'll have an option for those of us that don't want to breathe in the smoke.

For me it was a ‘one and done’ show. I’m glad I saw it and it was good, but not great. I wouldn’t see it again.

I just did this excursion in May. We had an hour and a half at the glacier before the bus took us to the salmon bake. You did not have options for multiple buses to get to the salmon bake - you had to get to your bus at the designated time. It’s leaving the salmon bake that is at your leisure, with multiple buses. I loved this excursion and thought it was well worth it.

I just took my first Alaskan cruise on Ovation this month. I’m sure you’ll love it! We did have a formal night and dress your best night but I did find people did not really dress up. The ship was very warm and the Alaskan ports were unusually warm for May (it was 79 in Ketchikan). I wished I had brought more tshirts. I highly recommend layers and a variety of clothes. I can’t help you with Seattle cause I went out of Vancouver. as far as flying, the liquid size only is applicable to your carry on. Any checked luggage can have larger liquids, but there are weight restrictions for the whole suitcase (typically 50 pounds). I hope you have a fabulous cruise!

I pick my room based upon price. Sometimes that’s an interior, sometimes a balcony. I’ve only done a suite once via Royal up because I can’t justify the cost. I’d rather go on multiple cruises per year. This year I’ve had an interior,and have booked for my next three cruises interior with vb, interior and ocean view balcony. Most times I book solo rooms and cannot book guarantees, so the price difference in categories can be extreme.

I was on symphony in February. The diamond lounge was nice to get a little nibble but I found the drinks better elsewhere. I tend to favor strawberry daiquiris and they were not blended enough (icy), and way too much rum. I know to some people too much alcohol is a bonus but not me. It was easy to use drink vouchers in specialty restaurants. We had specialty dining every night and it was not a problem anywhere.

I agree, I think deck 10 or 11 is perfect on the boardwalk. I stayed in 10327 on Symphony with family in the rooms on both other sides and it was an amazing location.

I understand your anxiety, I felt like that before my first cruise. Well I think you’d enjoy an ocean view balcony, a boardwalk or Central Park is very nice too. I prefer the boardwalk, it can get loud at times though. Central Park didn’t have a lot of air flow on my trip. I like that on the boardwalk you can see the ocean a bit too. They can open the partition between your balconies. I’ve added some photos of my Central Park balcony room on Allure from a few months ago. I had family in the room next to me and we had the partition opened.

I agree with this!! I just became diamond the old fashioned way and hearing these stories of inheriting status drives me nuts. With all the cost cutting, the benefits for crown and anchor are a prime target. I hope if they make changes it is option 2 like you suggest. now that you do not need to visit the diamond lounge to use your drink benefit, I don’t see a reason they need to match benefits at all.

And if she does, that’s her choice.

Perhaps if you’re buying the cruise, he can purchase the key for his family? That’ll help with lines as I believe there are some dedicated times for certain things, embarking line is faster and also reserved section seating for shows so he won’t feel as rushed to get to them. I think there’s a lot to do on oasis class ships, if you don’t want to be in lines there are ways to avoid it - ie skip my time dining, don’t be at the gangway at all clear time, etc…