cured

2 hours ago, bajathree said:

Have you sailed other lines in suite class?

 

Tell us you have never sailed Star Class without telling us.

And to answer your question. Yes. We have never found any of the butlers on any of the other lines give the same kind of service as the genies.

22 hours ago, nogard13 said:

Thanks to everyone for their responses.

 

I figured as much.  I'm not so much worried about the suite perks as about us being able to hang out as a family.  Having cabins next to each other allows us to open the balcony partition and move between cabins as we hang out with each other, but also allows privacy.  A 2BR Grand Suite would be the same and, honestly, might be worth the upgrade charge just to have the extra loyalty points and the reserved seating for shows (that me and wifey can go to while the kids are at AO).

Your wife technically would not be eligible for the reserved suite seats.  Only you and the child you were booked with get suite privileges. Your wife and the other child would still be in their original cabin. Your wife cannot use the child's suite privileges when the are in AO. Although as mentioned, the suite seats are not always in the best place.

3 hours ago, love to cruise 2017 said:

sorry to disargee but we have two family crew members on Brillance at present and no there not for a min 63 hr work week and what there required to do...no not a living wage. 

When calculating a living wage, do you factor in housing, utilities, food, healthcare, all things that would have to be paid out of pocket on land?

If it is so horrible, why are your family members still working on a ship?

What I have observed is that most of those who are strictly pro everyone dressing formal are those who have little opportunity on land to attend functions where they dress formal. Their comments are often peppered with "it is our chance to dress up", "we don't get to dress up otherwise" etc.  They desperately need and want everyone to participate in their fantasy in order to feel like they are at some legitimate fancy affair.  They cite rules and proper attire (where none is actually required) to guilt those into participating.

Then you have the other core group, those who have to regularly dress more formally in everyday life. Perhaps they still wear a suit and tie to work everyday. Or they are required to attend formal events for either work or charities they sponsor.  This group wants nothing to do with donning a suit coat, a dress, a button down shirt, or dress pants during their vacation.

Then you have the majority, those who absolutely don't care what others wear, who don't notice what others wear, are engaged with their companions and not clutching their pearls over what Sam across the room is wearing.  They are enjoying their vacation no matter how they are dressed and most importantly no matter how anyone else is dressed.

Be like Applebees during prom season.  The kids dropped off in their limo, dressed to the nines, are having the time of their lives, feeling great about themselves, and not even noticing the regular clientele dressed in shorts and tshirts sitting next to them.  The clientele who dropped in for dinner in their shorts are enjoying their dinner with their companions, not feeling self conscious because a group has decided to dress up for dinner. They might even be oohing and aweing over some of the beautiful gowns (although even prom is more dressed down than in the past here.) 

Enjoy your dinner. If you are in a tux and gown, enjoy feeling fabulous about yourself and your companions. Strut your stuff. But don't let your dinner be ruined because the whole place is not decked out. If you are in shorts and a t shirt, feel wonderful about yourself and have a blast with your companions. Complement the tux or the gorgeous gown as they walk by if you feel so inclined. 

Don't ever feel bad about your choice of dress as long as the important people, Royal Caribbean, allows it. And at this time, formal is an optional choice. Love it or leave it.

I have elevated respect, and my respect is already high, for the Coast Guard. They have incredible patience with the non-stop "is it open yet?"

27 minutes ago, Bead Pirate said:

Looks like 2 pieces of hull are now recovered. Miami Port Authority is not providing any estimates of the cut reopening time.

Earlier, Coast guard told one ship (MSC ?) to expect the pilot at 3:30 

Sounds like this is going to be a long day for the cruise ships. According to marine traffic radio, the north channel remains closed due to the yacht that is sunk in the channel.  Someone on the Celebration just posted that they have been told they may have to divert to another port.

Currently listening to Marine radio on youtube webcam. They are warning people that they have divers in the water. Just told Carnival Celebration that the fire boat is in place and waiting for them.  Prayers to all involved.

Medical evac from Carnival Celebration

Cruise ships waiting to enter channel

22 hours ago, Tatka said:

 

OK, drop this. I learn that in some village restaurants there tablecloth.

 

Do I need to post FAQ from RCI again?  

Oh, I know ... it is a suggestion, so people won't arrive to MDR for lunch in long pants accidentally.   🙂

You can post it all you want. It is not going to change things. Royal Caribbean has decided to not enforce a dress code no matter how badly some people want everyone to do things their way.

And they are not enforcing it just to placate some cruisers. Royal Caribbean has no problem enforcing rules when it matters even if a passenger gets miffed.  They have no problems telling people they are too heavy or too short to go down slides, ziplines, Ifly, and other things where safety is a concern. Your child not potty trained, no AO for you. No closed toe shoes, no climbing. They enforce where it matters. They just don't care what you wear in the dining rooms.

If Royal Caribbean was so worried about hurting people's feelings by telling them to go change, it would be safe to assume that their not wanting to hurt people's feelings would carry over to other places on the ship where they do enforce standards.

9 minutes ago, Seville2Cabo said:

With really Bermuda shorts you are supposed to wear over the calf socks.  I used to have Hong Kong in my sales territory and played golf at Royal Hong Kong.  Was told by my host that after golf we would go to dinner and I could wear long pants or Shorts - but shorts required high socks.  

And for even more formality, a jacket with the socks. I have seen rants on here about men wearing shorts with a suit jacket and tie. Oh my, shorts.  Just pointing out that shorts are acceptable in Bermuda where the poster said she had traveled extensively and does not see shorts.

On 4/13/2023 at 7:42 PM, Tatka said:

About 45 out 57 of my cruises were with 7 American massmarket cruise lines to Caribbean/Bahamas/Bermuda. I’m pretty familiar with what people wear. 

Must not have spent much time in Bermuda or researched the customs there. 

• Bermuda is the only place in the world where there is national attire for men. Millions of people who have not yet visited Bermuda may think they know of Bermuda Shorts. But only the dress Bermuda shorts – what male Bermudians and professional business newcomers from all walks of life wear for business attire and cocktail parties – are the real Bermuda shorts, worn three inches above the knee. 

18 hours ago, RD64 said:

In some places in Europe it is still very proper - my relatives would never think of wearing shorts in public unless it was at the seaside. Most definitely never to any appointment, office, store, and never to a restaurant. At home tablecloths on the table always. Eating in public? Not everyone enjoys American fast food -our local McDonalds with “McDrive” lasted barely a year. 

Of course there are still some places that are very proper. In every country there are still randome places that are very proper. But they are very specific like a 5* restaurant. There are still a few restaurants that require coats but they are in the minority these days. But general dress code are much, much more relaxed than they were decades ago.

No public eating? When is the last time you were in Europe?  The streets are lined with tables and chairs with people eating outside in public. When in Europe we often decided the restaurant we want to eat at by strolling down the street and seeing the food on people's plates. When something looks particularly good, that is the restaurant we eat at if there is not a long wait. 

Even as a child, street vendors were and are still very popular. Frites in Belgium with a huge dollop of mayo is one of my favorites. Raw herring in the Netherlands by the sea. Grab it by the tail and down it goes. YUM!  Brezels in Switzerland and Germany,  Every country in Europe has street vendors with amazing food.

No shorts at the store? How old are your relatives?  Again, when was the last time you were in Europe? Not for several decades it seems. The dress codes in Europe among the younger generations make us Americans (continent) look like prudes from the puritan ages.  Here is a random google picture of a French grocery store. Looks pretty westernized with lots of shorts in view. *Note, this was the first picture in the search. I did not go picking and choosing a picture that had shorts in it.

On 4/13/2023 at 7:23 PM, Tatka said:

I never seen people in shorts in evening restaurants in Europe, Asia and several countries of South America I’ve been. 

First of all, yes, I have seen plenty of people in shorts in Europe, including all of my cousins, aunts, uncles, and other relatives in Europe. We grew up not even being able to eat an apple with our hands. Everything was proper and there was no such thing as finger food. It took me a long time to be comfortable eating french fries out of a box with my fingers.  But times have changed. What my parents grew up with 80 years ago no longer applies to today's world. Just like we don't still wear long gowns with corsets and bustles. Appropriate dress wear changes over time.

Secondly, in the Caribbean and other warm weather countries, which you have not mentioned, it is much more relaxed.  Where do you think "Bermuda shorts" come from? Bermuda shorts for men are considered formal wear.  It is just not feasible to require long pants, shirts, and jackets in the heat and humidity, so Caribbean and Pacific islands, etiquette is much more relaxed.

On 4/13/2023 at 12:20 PM, Tatka said:

 

I agree with your wife. 🙂

 

My husband does not wear shirts because he thinks even black jeans or casual pants are more appropriate for such restaurants. I agree with him. Not too difficult to wear them.

 

Of course on Queen Mary 2 ... we followed their dress code which required at least a sport coat every day for men.

I am not sure, but I do think that the MDR as well as most restaurants with tablecloths frown on shirtless men even if they do have long pants on.

We sail suites approximately 2x per year. Kids are grown and out of college. House is paid for. The monthly savings we put into their college tuition fund and paid into the mortgage is now allocated to our vacation fund + additional 401k/savings.  Careful planning and booking early is helpful. If you subtract the UDP, the UBP, internet, and everything else that is included, the suite can work out to be a bargain. Even in today's prices, we have found good prices, you just have to be flexible with itinerary and dates which we are ok with.  We also prioritize memories with our children. We don't spend a ton on cars or fancy furniture or fancy houses. Everyone has different priorities and that is ok.

You choose to prioritize your house, car, and other things.  We choose vacations.  All is good.

14 hours ago, LisaLisa87 said:

My sister and I will be sailing on Oasis, departing from Port of Miami on Sunday, April 30. She's flying to MIA and I'll be driving from my home in St. Augustine, FL. The drive is about 4.5 hours on a good day, but can be considerably longer depending on traffic, construction, etc. I initially assumed I'd be driving down on embarkation day, so I chose a port arrival time of 11:30-12:00 for both of us. After reading about construction near the port and seeing reports of the garage at Terminal A filling by 10am, I'm now second guessing my plan. I see three potential options, and I'd love to know what others would do with my set of circumstances.

 

Option 1

Leave my house at about 6am on embarkation day, and drive straight to POM and hope there's still room in the Terminal A garage when I get there. Deal with parking in an alternate garage and taking a shuttle to Terminal A if necessary. (Of course I'd need to deal with that in reverse after disembarking.)

 

Option 2

Drive to Miami the evening before embarkation, stay in a hotel near the airport, and take a taxi or Uber to the port in the morning. In case I go with this option (or the next one), I made a reservation a the Hampton Inn Blue Lagoon which I can cancel up to the day before. They charge $17/day for parking.

 

Option 3

Drive down the evening before embarkation, go straight to POM and park in the Terminal A garage, and take a taxi or Uber to the Hampton Inn. Is this even realistic? It's Harmony's turnaround day. The appeal is that my car would be in the garage at Terminal A when I disembark.

 

Am I overthinking this? Probably. But I'd still appreciate opinions! 😁

I would suggest option 4 - same as option 2 but instead of taking a taxi or uber to the port, just drive yourself over in the morning and park in the terminal parking. That way your car will be at the terminal when you return and you are not paying an extra day of parking at the terminal nor extra uber fees in Option 3.

1 minute ago, Jimbo said:

I'm not understanding why as he said the cruise line is not allowing him to have a $200 FFC( his deposit) for a cruise they canceled? so he can use that deposit at a later time on another cruise?

 

I don't get it? Just think he got a customer service person at RCL that doesn't know what they are doing?

The way it is written, it is the 4 day cruise booked after the one that was cancelled that Royal Caribbean won't refund, not the cruise that was cancelled.  He wants a FCC for both cruises.

Call me confused. How can one claim diamond status and over 90 cruises sailed and then in the same breath claim ignorance of the fact that some deposits can be non-refundable? How can one go on 90 cruises, be a member of this group where NRD comes up regularly for 12 years, and not know non refundable deposits exist?

Did you tell the planner when booking that you wanted the price quoted as a refundable deposit? That price would have been higher than a non-refundable deposit.

While I do agree with Jimbo that since it was Royal that cancelled the first trip, better customer service would allow one to rebook both cruises, but I also don't have any beef with them following their rules that have been around for a long time.  You are only 2 hours away.  Go on the 4 day to just get away. It might be fun.

3 hours ago, fuglynchalenged said:

This is the worst vacation I have ever had.  I know you guys are biased  and will most likely give me a lot of flack for this post but I need to get it off my chest before I explode  

 

The ship is the exact same as the other ships in this class we have sailed like the oasis, allure and symphony. The only difference is this ship is really old it seems. When we first got here the stateroom was gross. It was dirty and dusty, it was in really bad shape. Maybe the state room attendant was having a bad day or something so I gave him the benefit of the doubt and I didn’t really mind. Our balcony door barely opens. It is just terrible. The food is just all-around awful. I’ve never had so much burnt old food in my life. the staff, well, I should say most of them, I’ve been nothing but rude and just awful. The freestyle Coke machines always broken like I mean always there have been several times where none of them have been working. Why did I pay $250 for a cup if none of them work?  One of our ports got cancelled and they did nothing about it. 

 

But I don’t even care about any of that, however, what I do care about is that OUR AC broke and they couldn’t care less. They don’t give a flying crap and won’t do anything to help us. Maintenance came over twice and gave us some copout answer by saying that when the sun goes down, the AC will work, however, three hours later when the sun went down, the AC is still broken. So now I have to spend the rest of my trip in a hot and uncomfortable room? I’d rather be at home with the snow. This is my ninth cruise and they just don’t care about their customers I guess so I don’t care about them either. I’m going to be switching cruise lines because this is pathetic! 

Looks like you had a major complaint about your March cruise last year too. Perhaps trying a different kind of vacation instead of just switching lines should be explored. No shame in saying cruising is not for you. 

2 hours ago, WelshFox said:

Hello

 

I am going on my first cruise with my wife on Anthem of the Seas in May 2023 and I am wondering about the special assistance, Do i need to provide RC with proof of my autism for special assistance? anybody who has travelled with RC who has autism or has a family member with autism what kind of provisions can RC provide? 

 

thanks in advance!

 

Leanne

You might want to check out a travel agency, Autism on the Seas, that works closely with Royal Caribbean to provide services for people with autism and other disAbilities.  Their services range from helping set up services with the Special Needs department to having select sailings that are fully staffed by their experts.

https://autismontheseas.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4LyN08SE_AIVUCOtBh3jiQ_7EAAYASAAEgL42PD_BwE

On 12/2/2022 at 2:32 PM, montlee said:

FYI - there were 9 of us on the week of Thanksgiving.  We tried 3 months out, 1 month out and daily until cruise time to book show and restaurants.  Each time it stated ‘can only reserve once on board ship’.  Because of traffic and parking conditions we were not able to get on board until 1:00.  I sat down immediately to book things.  Everything was totally booked.  Hairspray, aqua show and ice shows.  Every specialty restaurant, every time for the escape room.  There was nothing available.

 

I’ve defended large ships, having sailed Thanksgiving for three years on the biggest ship at that time, stating there was so much to do that it was never crowded.  COVID did keep me from sailing the last two years.  Well, this ship was crowded!  Because there was nothing to do.  Hairspray only showed 3 times, the aqua show 3 times, but on only 2 days.  The lines for those waiting in case reserved guests didn’t show up were enormous and took up a lot of space.

 

There were 2 or 3 trivia games per day that attracted, maybe 25 people.  The Promenade was packed with people wandering around.

 

We had my time dining and could only get 9:15 PM.  No amount of coaxing or waiting in line helped.  We were one of the last served in the main dining room and the food was cold.  Using the WindJammer wasn’t a help because it was a zoo.

 

There were only 12 seats in the smoking section on deck 15.  6000 passengers and only 12 Adirondack chairs?!

 

This was my 13th cruise with RCI and I got no welcome snack, no animal towels and the napkins in the dining room were just folded basically and laid on the plate.

They always put the tree up overnight on Thanksgiving.  Not this year.  When we left Saturday, it wasn’t up.

 

The final straw came when another passenger threw up on me and my scooter.  RCI did come quickly and cleaned the floor, my scooter and gave a very nice lady a cloth to clean my back.  After I showered and ‘Clorox wiped the heck out of my scooter’, I called for someone to launder my clothes.  They refused, stating it would contaminate the machines.  They stated they ‘take vomit very seriously’.  When I asked about all the other body fluids that are on the sheets regularly, they hung up on me.

 

This review is just to warn you about the reservation issue.  The rest is just my venting.  Thanks for listening.

 

 

Just curious - with a large party, why didn't you make your my time dining reservations ahead of time in the cruise planner?  Even pre-covid, I have been able to book my reservation time as soon as my cruise shows up in my cruise planner. Even for my upcoming cruise on an Oasis class, I was able to book 6:45pm (earliest possible for MTD) more than a year in advance. I know making reservations defeats the purpose of my time, however, I consider it my backup time. If I want to eat at a different time I will try to move it, but at least I know I have a reserved time every night.

The way the napkins were folded irritated you? I can't think of anything less worthy to be irritated about. I would much rather the servers focus on customers than spending their time folding fancy napkins on a holiday sailing, sailings that are known to be at maximum sailings.

Did you ask your room steward for towel animals and tip well when they provided them? I didn't think towel animals were a mandatory perk, just a nice thing room stewards do if they have time. I think people have become accustomed to them and now get mad if they don't get them.

I didn't think general welcome snacks were a thing unless it is part of a Crown and Anchor level perk. Are you saying you did not get your C&A perk? Did you contact the loyalty desk?

Is there more to the story about the vomit? That sounds terrible that they wouldn't help and the only thing in your rant that sounds awful.  Would you have been allowed to put the soiled clothing in the regular wash bags for the regular fee? How would they have known it was the soiled clothing?  Or did you want them to comp you a cleaning fee? While that would have been excellent customer service, I can see them not being responsible for another passenger's vomiting.  Did they say that the vomit covered clothing needed special handling so as not to contaminate everyone else's clothing, so would assess a fee?  There has got to be more to this story than Royal Caribbean just flatly refusing to help.

On 12/5/2022 at 10:29 AM, fredmdcruisers said:

Its just like the post-cruise survey. Nothing changes... they do what they want no matter the input. Save your time. 

I am confused. How is it a cost saving measure to sub out the mini Caribbean lobster tails when the market value of the Maine lobster is about 3x+ the warm water lobster?   This is the same type of lobster that has always been available at Chops for a fee. Now every cruiser can get one complimentary in the MDR. Sounds like an upgrade to me.

4 hours ago, Robo1098 said:

The F&B manager said that the Symphony "test" menu will be rolled out fleet wide in January.

 

 

Were you on Symphony and heard this directly from the F&B manager? Or is this from the telephone game that is currently happening on FB? You were on a cruise in October from Port Canaveral, so not Symphony. Have you been on Symphony after that when they started the test?  

Until there is an official announcement that the menu, EXACTLY as being currently presented with no study of the results or feedback, is made by Royal Caribbean, nothing can be believed. It is all speculation and wild theories. Just the fact that nobody realizes the difference between the two lobsters speaks to the lack of credibility of the rumors.

Why in the world would the F&B manager start announcing things before the test is completed?  Does he personally know the results of the test. It makes no sense. And even if he did, it is still his own speculation since nothing has been announced.  I highly doubt he has early insider information to the suits' final decisions.

4 hours ago, Jasukkie said:

Such an emotional topic! 

 

I can see why people are disappointed. Lobster night has always been a thing, and some waiters really play it up with the extra tails. Maybe its success is part of the problem. It has become somewhat of a competitive eating challenge for some folks. But nothing is really free. The rest of the passengers have to subsidize the few who are having four+ tails. Having never personally consumed that many, I can't argue against charging for it, though charging after two would be my preference. They are tiny, two seems reasonable as a portion size. 

 

I can't imagine canceling a cruise over this issue but I understand the disappointment. Loving lobster night doesn't mean you are some gluttonous hog who deserves a trough in the back of the buffet. We all have things that are important to us.

As mentioned, apples to oranges.  They are replacing warm water tails with cold water Maine tails.  The market price difference is about 2 - 3x.  Rather than moaning about having to pay for an extra, better quality Maine Lobster tail, maybe everyone should be bombarding Royal Caribbean to stick with the smaller, poorer quality warm water tails so that they can gorge on them.

29 minutes ago, nelblu said:

This topic IMO is an offshoot of the test menu presently on Symphony.  The so-called menu is quite skimpy and get rid of the classic entree options.  As a substitute on lobster night is the so-called Maine lobster tail, which from the picture is not any bigger than the present Caribbean one.  

 

 

First of all, IT IS A TEST. Except for some people posting that their waiters told them it will be the current menu, Royal Caribbean has not made any announcements that the current menu will be implemented exactly as it is now. For all we know, they purposely left off the classic entrees as a control to be able to see which of the new items were most popular and best to include. Until an announcement is made by Royal Caribbean, all of this is pure speculation. And I am flabbergasted at people that are threatening to cancel their cruises and excoriating RCL over a TEST on ONE ship.

Secondly, you are from the East Coast. Surely you are aware of the difference in quality and size between current Caribbean lobster and cold water Maine lobster.

People making a big deal about this are just wanting to complain without knowing what they are talking about and/or without paying attention to detail.  You can't compare the two tails.  I would much rather have 1 Maine lobster tail than 10 of the warm water ones they currently serve.  

Besides, Maine lobster is currently very expensive due to legal battles over the fishing of the lobster. Some restaurants have taken Maine lobster off their menu entirely. The fact that someone can get one Maine lobster complimentary is a huge upgrade over the current warm water things they serve.

Can you post some pictures from Symphony of the actual Maine tails that are being served?