windjamming

Hi Noreen, what a pleasant surprise to find your review here! I really liked your Mariner/Disney review on the Royal board last year. You write well with great detail and structure in each entry. We were on the Silhouette last year pre-dry dock and were supposed to sail on her again this year, so I'm especially savoring the details you're sharing here. 

I'm halfway through now and looking forward to the rest! Thanks for taking the time to do this. 

15 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Over the top

 

Went through 6 bottles of wine.🍷

 

Missed dinner, slept through the Quest

What did everyone else drink? Just kidding. 

Happy birthday Laura! What a wonderful way to celebrate a birthday, in an amazing suite, on one of the biggest cruise ships in the world, in the middle of the ocean, and surrounded by loved ones. 

10 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

What kind of person opens a conversation with, 'I'm not like you, I'm a Pinnacle with 1,750 points? 🤔🤣🤣

 

Definitely some Class Envy onboard

Naive question. Are there different levels of Pinnacle? 

Longtime lurker - love your reviews. It's fun to tag along from home. 

11 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

1) The virgin drink comment from yesterday is spot on. He has seen the email MB sent to the fleet last week.  Drink up

This is awesome. Assume we can use another drink voucher for a rum floater?

Squee - an LMM review! You and your sister are all grown up - I still remember reading your Epic review.

Welcome back to the RC boards. Can't wait to hear more about your adventures. Your eye for photography and storytelling skills are superb as always. 

On 12/10/2019 at 12:16 AM, Alter Ego said:

Loving your review (as always).  Looking forward to some uncensored photos from Cozumel!!  

She's expertly building up suspense for what will undoubtedly be another epic Cozumel bar hop story. I still laugh at the pictures from the 4-headed monster cruise. Coincidentally those pictures seem to have disappeared from the review.  

If you haven't read it, here's the link. 

6 hours ago, stevea36 said:

There are none of the activities such as rock walls, flow rider, ice skating, and the like.    You will find it more serene, one announcement a day (10am), no belly flop, sexiest man, or other contests, no quest.   You will find the usual karaoke, silent disco, etc.  Better food (IMHO), great coffee/snack shop (Cafe alBacio).

We've sailed on the Oasis class as well as the Edge. They're different, but we loved both. If I had to choose, I'd say her closest relative in the Royal fleet is a Radiance class ship - lots of beautiful, elegant decor. Cafe al Bacio is a gem, and you'll love Luminae and the Retreat Lounge. I say go for it. 

Are they letting passengers off the ship today to visit the city? 

On 11/4/2019 at 9:51 PM, aring75 said:

So they have interactive games on the Boardwalk you can play using the RCCL app.

 

You line up your phone with the sign.

 

Press the Boardwalk Game button on the app on your phone. 
 

And it launches an interactive game using your phone. 
 

 

You may know this already. There is also an interactive feature to look inside the bridge on Deck 12 forward. Similar setup - line up your phone with the art, and you'll get an x-ray live view of the bridge. 

And .. echoing all the other readers here expressing their appreciation. This is a wonderful review. Thank you taking time out of your vacation to share with us. You look like you're having a blast. 

8 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

Those skates were rough.  He’s used to heat moulded skates with replaceable blades and wax laces. Not to mention they barely had any ankle support.

 

The skates he used were like Eeyroo of the hockey world. 

 

Edit it to add: he still had fun and if you have never done it before try it. His first skate was on Oasis of the Seas. 

I love that the only time a Canadian could possibly be accused of being pretentious is when he's talking about hockey skates! 🙂

Just found this thread and now have 46 pages to catch up. What an adventure you must be having! Be safe and thank you again for posting your live threads. Always a lot of fun virtually cruising along with you and your lovely family. 

Thanks all of your personal experiences! Cunard sounds lovely, and we'd be totally onboard with the dressier attire - literally and figuratively!

@Lady Hudson - we're looking at a Baltics cruise. 

Hi all, we are longtime Royal Caribbean cruisers and have an opportunity to try a Cunard ship. Can anyone who's sailed both lines help with some insight into differences we may expect? From what I'm reading it seems the passengers tend to dress up more and perhaps skew older. How is the food? Activities and entertainment?

We've also sailed Celebrity, Norwegian, and Disney (I don't expect Cunard to have a Pirate night!)

Thanks in advance!

The Solarium Bistro is gorgeous - much larger, high ceilings, more light, and airier than the ones on other Oasis class. Though we could have had dinner at CK, we ended up eating in the Solarium a number of nights because of the relaxed feel.  

Owen makes everything look so easy - what a natural athlete!

1 minute ago, PhoenixCruiser said:

I wonder if Rick will remember "Who the %*$! Is Alice?" tomorrow.   He was laughing so hard he had tears 😂

LOL, depends on how long they stay at Blaze or the Crypt or wherever they went. 

Another scope watcher - up way too late on a regular weeknight because of the blasted Daylight Savings Time!

Impressed by the tanking of the large rum and coke ! 

4 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

This past weekend we travelled through the famous Beaver Valley. It’s always fun at Beaver Valley. It’s a good place to plant your pole if you are a skier, down hill or cross country.

Am I the only 13 year old laughing at this?

So looking forward to this, Andrew. Are York & CLR joining? 

17 hours ago, GoodScout said:

 

• Embarkation lunch in MDC for CC guests only. I hate the mob scene in the buffet the first day. People not knowing where they're going, dragging their luggage around? No thanks. Worth it to have a decent sit-down meal with a few people sharing a table. I'm big on feeling civilized on a cruise, and this started things out right. It's also the only perk I can lord over the Aqua suite guests. (jk)

Thank you for this clear list of benefits! We are on our first Celebrity cruise next month and booked in a CC room. Are all embarkation lunch tables shared? We prefer dining by ourselves, especially on the first day when we're still trying to find our bearings. 

Yes, it varies from day to day - roasted vegetables, fennel salad..etc.

On 11/29/2018 at 7:18 PM, T-2 said:

May I ask if there has been any option to send your luggage to MIA for certain airlines or where you don't see it again until you get home?  I saw the transfers for $16 ec but there are 4 of us with an evening flight at 7:30 so hoping there might be a luggage only option.  Thanks for sharing Everything- its super appreciated.

On 11/29/2018 at 8:29 PM, fielddreamer said:

The charge is $25 per bag and applies to certain airlines like Southwest, American and a few others ! I have used it 4 times and never had a issue.   Bob

On 11/29/2018 at 8:34 PM, Host Clarea said:

 

Royal's Luggage Valet is $25 per person.

Just FYI, when we were on the Symphony last week, Luggage Valet wasn't available yet. Guest Services thought it would be another few weeks before it would be offered. Hopefully by the time you sail, it'll be running smoothly.

21 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

We booked as soon as we boarded (boarded first from the suites embarkation lounge around 11:00 am). We were offered times on all nights. Two nights, the times available were not our first choice (mostly working around show times). The waiters do an amazing job at service when you tell them of a time constraint. 

Thanks Bird! Were there any issues getting into the CK? I seem to recall on Harmony, Sea Class cards aren't coded to enter the Suite area, and so JS passengers would have to wait outside until someone happened to exit. 

27 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

Coastal Kitchen

 

Salmon Sashimi

Creamy Truffel Rissoto

Shellfish Stew

Lamb Chops

Butter Poached Lobster

Baked Alaska

Coconut Tapioca

 

Thanks for this great look at Symphony. Did you have any issues getting into & seated in CK as Sea Class/ JS?

7 hours ago, twangster said:

Day 9 - Galley Tour

 

A benefit of being Diamond Plus is a free galley tour.  Today a Sous Chef would be conducting the tour.

Does the D+ galley tour go between decks? I remember reading in someone's review of one of the Oasis class ships years ago that stairs were involved, so we've avoided the tour. 

Thanks again for the amazing photos and well-organized review. It's been fun virtually crossing the Atlantic on the Symphony! 

twangster, I'm only about 1/3 thru but wanted to tell you how much I enjoy your review content and style. Your Adventure cruise report was the first one I read and did it all in one go because it was so interesting. The photos are superb (of course), but the story and narrative really make the reader feel like we're experiencing what you did. 

Looking forward to the rest of your review! The Radiance was my first ship, so she holds a special place in my heart. Still the most beautiful ship I've ever sailed on. 

Thanks everyone for your help! I'm not on the Celebrity boards often, and I must have not used the right keywords when I searched for this topic. On the tip that this was discussed recently, I went back a few pages on the thread list and was able to find 2 threads:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2595788-pay-in-48-hours-for-obc/

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2596137-bonus-obc-for-early-final-payment/

mods - if you think it makes sense, maybe we can combine our threads? 

Anyway, I called the number, and the rep explained this was a promotion they were offering people who had reservations on the Edge next year. Something about wanting to get early confirmation on the number of people who were intending to keep the sailing. 

@oceangoer2 - we booked directly with Celebrity.