Bo1953

Sure does... Cheers and bon voyage

What is the reason you would torture yourself in this manner??? While many enjoy these venues even without 'discounts', skip them... Or go so you will not wonder if you made the correct decision or not. Net - Net we cannot do justice for you in this decision as you will most likely read here that there are those of us who love these venues and do not mind spending $$$ to eat there, those of us who would not even go near them unless we get a discount (read: deep) and those of us who will not spend the $$$ for this type of dining as we already paid for the MDR, OVC and Mast Grill... You have to decide if you like any of the themes these restaurants present and then decide if it is worth it or not to try. If you have enough, if any, OBC then this might be a worthy spend??? Let us know what you ultimately decide... bon appetit and bon voyage

I Am hoping, possibly in vain, that the pricing will go down enough for me to book from PHL or fly non-stop from FCO-EWR... bon voyage

For you, lgw, they may make an exception... try it and let us know... Cheers and bon voyage

I must say that when I booked our European flights through X, the r/t direct from airline was approximately $5,575 pp, through X $2,675, even though the return flight was not to my liking, I Am willing to accept it for the pricing. I Am able to manage my flights through UA's & AY's sites without having paid for the tickets yet... Apparently YMMV... good luck and I trust you get it sorted by whichever means you choose to finally book. bon voyage

Usually, cans only or max of 16oz bottles. Cheers and bon voyage

Our condolences on your loss, yet happy to know that you will possibly continue the tradition... All the best and bon voyage

^^^^ - this I would do for sure.... Maybe on my next sailing I will pull it off... bon voyage

👋🏿👋🏿👋🏿 I do not mind helping those who require such protein... 🐟🐟🐟 bon appetit and bon voyage

Thank you, the comment apparently made by someone not really familiar with The Edge Class, at least the dining venues... I can wait to read about their take on the cabins... LOL bon appetit and bon voyage

.... I think a viable option to manage your disappointment, is to cancel any sailings you have on X ASAP in order to dodge the new situations, currently in place. Your travel insurance may offer a clause under which you can file for reimbursement... bon voyage

You can have mine, for sure... bon appetit and bon voyage

Well, another option for items missing from the new 'offerings', that is if one can determine that the essential ingredients are aboard, special order your dish... Barring that, as for the components and make it at the table... that would get someones attention if more individuals did that... Complex recipes excepted... LOL bon appetit and bon voyage

Yes, that points to a communications challenge.... Did your parents have any challenges with eating at a time which suited them best? bon appetit and bon voyage

I do get the point, as I do usually travel with 12 - 15 people on any given sailing... each of us have different needs and wants when it comes to dining, especially times. I, usually, make the reservations for everyone for dinner... our tables are always adjacent to each other so we can chat or change tables on any given evening if we choose. I will let my friends know of the anticipated changes and how to deal with them accordingly... as such, they will know and be prepared. This may mean that I will need to be at the MDR 15 - 20 minutes early to let the M'd know the table and people count and that is fine... Yet, we will see how this all plays out, still not an issue as opposed to an 'initial' anxiety on how it will work out given the different personalities to be dealt with in my group about food and dining... I will make sure that I have enough snicker bars at the ready for them the first few days.... LOL After they brow beat me for something which I have no control over, generally, we will put out heads together to figure out how to best approach the new normal and party on for the rest of the sailing... bon appetit and bon voyage

Well, there can be two (2) reactions: 1) Oh My, they made changes we did not know about, okay we are here now, either we will enjoy it or not... soon we will find out; OR 2) Oh NO, how could they do this and not tell me in advance!!! This is wholly unacceptable and I want my money back, after I cruise that is... LOL bon voyage

Especially the vegan ones, when they are made... to order. LOL Most of the time I Am in Al Bacio is when I Am having my Oolong tea and a Macallan for my afternoon down time... LOL bon appetit and bon voyage

A quick solution to all of this.... A quite large group (15+) passengers order room service to be delivered to The OVC.... Can you imagine the consternation and confusion when we ask them to deliver it there... It would be worth the fee to me... LOL bon appetit and bon voyage

It all depends on what you would enjoy... Do you like tasting new/different wines? Are you interested in mixing your own wines? Are you into finding the 'right' glassware for drinking wine and showing off your knowledge to friends and family about the same and doing the test with them, as well? What is your budget, if you can handle it, take a few of the experiences while aboard, if any interests you and enjoy!!! Cheers and bon voyage

mc - no need to wait, just buy and do not open or use until you either break or give the old ones away!!!! LOL, how quickly you will have justified using them... they are great.. Cheers and bon voyage

Well, pre-pandemic and things were great with most of us sailing carefree with 'relatively' minor issues (as continued comments bridged pre- and post-). Most cruise lines, as are airlines and other vacation spots, are trying to make up for lost revenue during this time and payback of loans taken out to remain afloat and etc... some expenses carried on during the down time, as it did in my household. We were able to keep afloat with some bit of pain here and there, we were able to do it without loans or new financing in our life... I will go out on a limb and say that many US passenger focused cruise lines have the same challenges and are coming up with similar solutions... I read the Cruise Critics on the various boards here and no one has really come up with a 'happy medium' as to how these beloved lines need to approach this financial situation as opposed to going the way of Crystal Cruises. The eternal search for good fares, good service, good staff appears to be coming up short, as far as I can read, here... there are solutions which some of my favourite posters are taking which include changing to a more 'inclusive' cruise line, which I think is great. Many of us who choose to stay with X and still have challenges with the new current approach to sailing and keeping the coffers adequately filled i.e. cutbacks and increased fees and etc... we need to think about if sailing is still a good form of vacationing for us due to this... Like picking our fights here on CC, we need to pick our cruise line(s) accordingly and sail on... bon voyage

A Cruise Critic only sailing... bon voyage

I truly like to fly under the radar, too... But as you can tell, my photo is out there, so no hiding behind a keyboard for me!!! LOL I also want fellow passengers to have a pleasant sailing and if I hear of someone who is not, then I try to figure out how to get the "proper" staff to make it good, when and how I can... as they need to have a pleasant and fulfilling vacation as well... Yet, that is me... Often, I do not try to look for the "cheap" ways to get on a ship, I look for the best ways that offer good value for my down time and to interact with individuals that I would not ordinarily meet in my daily living... those individuals always add something to my experience. I do not think that many on CC are willing to accept less vs complain about it more... Many figure out a way to increase the value either before, during or after the sailing or move on. I do champion those who decide that X or any other line for all that matters, is not of value and move on... their money, their values, their decision and I do support it 110%, rather I agree with it or not. If I trash talk anyone here, I readily apologize and when (or if) I meet aboard I profusely apologize again as it is truly not my goal... then as lgw and others have amply pointed out, ship happens and we sail on!!! LOL bon voyage

Yes, I know and it is a bummer to be sure not to have the flexibility to do so... YET You do have other protections which we, generally, do not here in the States... the trade off.. LOL You can book through a few U.S. TA's, as I understand it. How to find them is totally foreign to me, at the moment, but if you want I will keep an eye out for a few for you... bon voyage

We did enjoy ourselves, did we not??? Cheers and bon voyage