MrsHFQ

We sailed on the Odyssey in September and loved a lot about our cruise but (further to your observations).......

Lobster tails were not on the menu at all except as a paid for option.

Weird sandwiches - one of the sandwiches I had from the Two70 cafe had several different ingredients from what was on the label (including pineapple instead of pesto....) 

It was almost impossible to find a seat in Two70 for The Book 20 minutes before it started despite having made reservations.

We prefer evening. Quite happy to make our own bed in the mornings. We like to take things easy some mornings so it's good not to feel like we need to rush out of our cabin etc.

We ask for extra towels when we need them (or ice etc).

Had a really good cabin steward on the Odyssey this summer and would often see him in the mornings so it was easy to ask for what we needed

13 minutes ago, SquishTheWhale said:

Realise I'm in the UK and looking at a European sailing so different to what you guys are discussing. DBP is £64pd. Soda package £10.75pd. Some shore excursions are 30% but I wasn't tracking prices on any of them so not sure if there's an actual saving.

25% on some on board bits such as the cupcake decorating class which I still think is a joke at £25pp for 45 minutes putting some sprinkles on cakes.

 

I did get the cooler with diet coke (£20.18) and $50 arcade (£33) as was planning to get those at some point anyway.

 

I'm dithering over the 10 photo package. We used to get a lot of on board photos but haven't sailed Royal since Covid and I've heard there may not be many photographers on board now? Can anyone confirm how much it costs to buy 1 or 2 photos on board?

Also from the UK. Have  booked the DBP today for £59 which is well below what it has been up until now. Had booked several excursions a few weeks ago but today have cancelled and rebooked and saved quite a few ££s

Independence will be sailing out of Southampton again for the summer.

35 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

No requirement to pre pay grats with MTD with US bookings. 

We had to pre pay gratuities with our UK booking for MTD

6 minutes ago, The Fun Researcher said:

Question for those that cancelled and rebooked...

 

Were the identical times available that you had before?  Just wondering if Royal immediately frees up those slots and you can rebook them.  I've worried that if I cancelled, and then tried to rebook, the timeslot I want would be gone.  We're typically parties of 5 or more so the timeslots are limited and I would hate to miss out if trying to rebook.  Thanks!

We decided to ring up and cancel and rebook as that was precisely the thing we were concerned about. We go the same time slot.

Excellent! Thanks for the heads up! Had already got lunch booked for Jamie's on Anthem but have just cancelled it and booked at the cheaper price.

On 9/26/2023 at 10:37 AM, Mick B said:

Hi,

Years ago, when we first started cruising, we couldn't wait to find out who our CD would be. Back then the Cruise Directors would always be around during the day and then come on stage at night. There used to be so many great CDs and over the years some have left.

Also, back then there were some great CD staff members who I just knew would one day, if they stuck it out, become a CD.

Looking at the recent list it is nice to see that  Aysy has made it to the top. I assume this is the lively blonde girl from Russia who used to be on the Splendour 10 or so years ago out of Venice when Bill Brunkhorst was CD. Met her several times and she always remembered us. Last time was 2016 in Dubai just before the Splendour was sold off.

Also, its nice to see Bill is still around. Can anyone remember his James Bond quiz nights in the Casino where you had to name the singer of a certain bond theme and the prizes were things like Moet champers or vouchers for $90 jewelry - now its things like pens!

Also I see a Tornado Tanya, and wonder if that's Tanya Tongue/Yates who used to be with Clo O'Conner as her Activities Manager. Talking of which, nice to see Clo back on the list. Sadly, I have not been able to catch her since 2015. Anyone who does is in for a good time, you lucky folk.

Nice to Joff Eaton too is still there. Many people have told me that he is the best. Sadly, the only cruise I saw him on was on the Anthem during the Covid restrictions so never had a real good chance to have a chat and he seemed to not be around much. To be fair, during 2021 and 2022 there were so many restrictions and so many staff isolating, that I cannot say any thing bad about CDs and staff during that period. However, today, there should be no excuses.

Did get to chat with Eric Lopez on the Enchantment in May this year and he seems to be a rising star and took part in many activities.

Dennis Charles was on the Anthem back in 2019 out of Bayonne and seemed a nice guy and took part in various activities throughout the day with his staff such water sports in the outdoor pool.

Rob McNally was on the Voyager last year and had a good chat with him, and he was always around doing stuff.

Another CD was Mark from the UK (never knew his surname) and I think he was only a relief CD at the time, but used to be on ships like the Indy and was always out and about during the day and the women loved to stop him for a chat. I think he was a big Carpenter's fan too!

 

What I really like about a CD is when they take part in activities during the day (well sea days) and get to know their passengers and then when they come on stage get a really nice welcome. But sometimes you get a CD who is never seen anywhere other than on TV and then comes on stage and pretends to be like your best friend. 

Other activities where you can see who has what it takes are things like the Love and Marriage game show and The Quest.

 

Back to today, we no longer bother about who the CD will be, we are just happy to get to the port and find the ship is there and we can get on it. It is nice if we recognise a CD and it is also nice if they remember us too. Clo and Bill were 2 CDs where we had gaps of over 5 years and they remembered us. Mind you, we used to take part in many of the daytime activities with them, so that may be how they remember the passenger!

 

Also, 2 CDs I miss are Graham Seymour (somebody scream!) who was CD in the Indy back in 2008 when she was new and I last saw him in 2017 on the Rhapsody out of Venice, but I think he was just doing fill-in roles by then.

The other is Gordon Whatman who used to be on the Liberty back in 2011 and he had a really great singing voice.

 

Happy memories,

BTW I will be on the Jewel doing the TA next April, so we will have to wait and see who we get as CD.

 

Mick.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had Joff Eaton on our first 2 cruises and no other CD since has met his high bar for us. He was always around, very personable, great fun. We always watched his morning show in our cabin.

On our cruise this summer we only saw the CD once, very briefly, when she introduced a show. Never saw her around the ship and her morning shows were less than interesting.

We did the Chef's Table last year on the Anthem but wouldn't do it again.

There were 2 or 3 people that totally dominated the conversation and were very full of their own importance. The person who I sat next to didn't speak to me at all the whole meal - and yes, I did try to make conversation with him but he was much more interested in being the centre of everyone's attention at our end of the table.

We were a little disappointed with the food. Had to send the steak back as it wasn't cooked as ordered and even when the chef came out to have a conversation with my husband as to how he wanted it, it still wasn't right 2nd time around.

Would love to try it again but .....

Just now, ace2542 said:

Is that for the Anthem April T/A? Or a different cruise?

For The Anthem but not T/A - Canary Islands in June 2024

5 hours ago, ace2542 said:

Or is it better to book it now at the £58 per day uk pound price. What do we think?

That's a really good price! Just checked ours - £77..... will keep looking.......don't want to pay that much per day!

On 9/26/2023 at 11:27 PM, Thatmakes7 said:

Hi, I am booked on a Greek Isle Cruise for next summer (Odyssey of the Seas). I've been reading alot about the Santorini port and how it can be sort of a disaster if you don't have an excursion booked with the cruiseline. 

 

I am trying to decide between 3 options 

 

1. Akrotiri Ruins and Oia Village

2. Island of Santorini and Oia Village

3. Village of Oia on your own 

 

Can anyone who has completed either of these excursions speak on their experience? I don't have anything in particular I want to see. I'm really just booking the excursion to avoid horrendous cable car lines.

 

I wish there was a way to view reviews on these specific excursions. 

 

Thanks in Advance!

We did the Village of Oia on your own RC excursion. It was a very early start (6.45!) but worked out well. Going on an RC excursion meant priority on the tenders. We had a coach to Oia, a short guided tour then time on our own. The coach took us back to Fira where we could spend as little or as much time as we wanted and we were given a cable car ticket to return to the tender that we could use at whatever time we chose. As it had been a very early start, we joined the cable car queue soon after 1pm and didn't really have to queue long at all for the cable car (got on to the 2nd one) or for the tender. It suited us and we enjoyed our day.

We did a 9 night from Rome on the Odyssey last month. 

We stayed a few days pre cruise in Rome - the hotel was very central (2 minutes from the Trevi Fountain) which was ideal for sightseeing. The hotel was very quirky but a perfect base.

We had private transfers booked from airport to hotel, hotel to port and port back to airport. They weren't cheap for the 3 of us but worked out well.

We booked our tickets and timings ahead for the Colosseum, Vatican Museums, Hop on Hop off bus and a river trip. Planning each day and timings definitely helped. We left plenty of time to 'go with the flow' and didn't jam too much in.

In Naples we opted to do our own thing but didn't quite manage to navigate to where we wanted to. Not over impressed with Naples but that may well have been my fault for not planning well enough!

In Santorini we took an early RC excursion which meant we could get off on a tender easily and then on a coach  to Oia. We had plenty of free time in Fira and could then take the cable car down at our own time (we avoided queues that way).

In Mykonos we opted to do our own thing - easy to walk off the ship and explore. We had thought about doing a beach transfer but were glad that we didn't as the day was incredibly windy!

In Kusadasi we did a brilliant walking tour  (RC) which included Pigeon Island and then some shopping. Easy port to do on your own if you want to explore the port of Kusadasi.

Piraeus - we just used the Hop on Hop off buses - one from Piraeus to Athens and the other around Athens. We had pre purchased tickets to the Acropolis but then discovered they had introduced a timed ticket which would have meant presenting our tickets at the Acropolis and then being given a timed entry ( we heard from others that they then had a wait of over 2 hours) so we cancelled. The HOHO bus was very slow around Athens as the traffic was very busy.

Chania - RC provides a shuttle bus to the centre and then we walked through the shops and down to the beautiful harbour - lovely just to sit and enjoy or walk around to the lighthouse.

Lovely ports!

On 8/16/2023 at 7:15 PM, tokidoki said:

turns out if I wouldve clicked on the wellness check, I would lose my 11am checkin time.  its to be ignored, will just answer the questions this saturday.  thx everyone!

That's useful to know.... we've got our check in time for 12 for Friday and I've just checked on my app and it's asking me to click a time for my wellness check (3 or 3.30!)! Will just make sure we've done the health status on the app the day before and hope that's ok....

On 6/29/2023 at 10:14 AM, TKATeacher said:

We were in Santorini last week on a Royal cruise. We did a ship excursion - Oia on Your Own. It had us off the ship early (7:30), which we thought an advantage with heat and crowds.  We tendered to  Athinos and boarded a bus to Oia.  Wow, do those bus drivers earn their pay - crazy roads in a manual bus!!! Yes, views from Oia were gorgeous, but the crowds pouring in behind us were insane. We had like an hour in the town, and as we made our way out the entire hill down was packed with arrivals. We were transported by bus to Fira, where we explored for a short while (again, crowds were fierce) before we took the cable car down. It was 11 am and there was no line to go down. 

 

There were 3 ships when we were in Santorini. The impact of crowds in these beautiful little towns should not be underestimated, and not just for the cable car waits.  The towns have narrow walkways that quickly become jammed by the numbers pouring in.  

Thanks, TKATeacher, that's really useful! We have this excursion booked for our cruise next week. We booked it as a way of making the tender process easier getting off the ship. 7.30 is a really early start but hopefully worth it to avoid the worst of the crowds! There are 3 ships in but one doesn't arrive until about 1pm so we will probably be back (or going back) on the ship by then!

Useful, thanks. We are on a 9 night on the Odyssey in September.

We have booked an RC excursion for Santorini as we think that should bypass the long wait to get a tender off the ship.

We have booked our taxi from the port back to the airport and just hoping (!) that it turns up as we are fairly tight timewise for our flight (booked by our TA so we assume he knows what he's doing!).

Looking forward to our pre cruise stay in Rome - we have booked 'skip the line' tickets for the Vatican and the Colosseum - just hoping it won't be quite so busy as it's (just) into September!

I will be there the 2nd week of September......

This is the email reply I had from Tiqets

Greetings from Tiqets!
We are writing you regarding your Acropolis of Athens: Entry Ticket.
Please know that you can visit the venue any time during the opening hours. The last entry is 30 minutes before the closing.
Should you have any additional concerns, please let us know.

Just have to wait and see, I guess.......

18 minutes ago, Bubbles3 said:

I checked with them too as I have tickets booked.  Same reply.  As the times are not on tickets it surely has to be correct 🤞😬

🤞🤞Haven’t booked excursions through other companies than cruise line before but have several tickets booked through 3 different companies this time so I’m just 🤞🤞🤞! Determined to have an amazing cruise so will just take it as it comes…whatever will be, will be!

I have just checked with my ticket provider (Tiqets) who have assured me that I can just turn up with my ticket at any time on the day I have booked ..... can't say I'm particularly reassured by that!

On 8/16/2023 at 2:11 PM, Amyracecar said:

I bought tickets for the Acropolis yesterday via the official site, but didn't get an option to pick a timeslot. I'm more confused than ever! 

 

(Tickets for October)

I bought a ticket a few weeks ago for September... no time slot ...no idea how that will work out now

28 minutes ago, suzk2275a said:

I noticed that they now are asking if you have had boosters.  Does anyone know why they are asking about boosters?  According to Royal Caribbean’s web site boosters are not required. 

At one stage RC were asking for/suggesting you had the booster if your 2nd  dose was more than 270 days away.

Have just checked and the health check questions are there for my cruise which leaves on Sunday - just 3 questions. Wondering if there will be any more on the day before

15 hours ago, fla33023 said:

Pre-pandemic it was all about the curry dishes on Indy. I'll find out in a few months if anything has changed!

Used to love the curry dishes on the Indy!

On 7/26/2022 at 5:25 PM, the penguins said:

Sounds odd to me. Some UK insurance policies specifically exclude cruises but yours doesn't. A few years ago a few companies started to add a premium for missed ports etc but frankly it never made sense as ships automatically refunded these. 

Your booking is bound by Royal Caribbean's booking conditions (clause 1.12 ) and from what you describe the insurance you have meets those conditions. If you are still worried give your Travel Agent the policy details and ask them to confirm in writing what is not acceptable. We use Nationwide's insurance without the added "cruise benefits" and have never had an issue. Good luck, Geoff

I rang my TA who couldn't really answer my question and give me a definite 'yes' about my policy (not a surprise really as she hasn't read it) but it seems to cover all the things that she said it should. She said that she would ring RC and ask if it has to be 'cruise-specific' or just cover cruises and was told that travel insurance isn't mandatory .....! I thought we now had to show proof before boarding? Anyway, having read all I can on the RC website and re-read our policy I'm pretty sure it covers what it needs to cover

14 minutes ago, the penguins said:

On the Royal Caribbean site make sure you put UK as the conditions vary.

Thank you. I will check the UK site