GalvestonCruiserx3

These menus look great!

On 7/23/2023 at 3:25 PM, balcony bound said:

Breeze is one of our favorite ships.  Check out the thalasotherapy pool in the spa - you can get a day pass, well worth trying.  You'll have a great time.

Yes we LOVED the spa on the Breeze.  Got the 7 day couples thermal suite access (can't remember exactly what they call it) and it was WONDERFUL.  We went everyday to the dry and wet sauna, the heated loungers and the thalassotherapy pool.  It was amazing.  Worth every penny!

Did you find the ship to be hot?  I've seen several complaints about hot rooms and hot common areas.

Just now, OCSC Mike said:

 

You can only book once per cruise. The time we went twice, we decided to try the standby line one night b/c we didn't have any exciting plans and the 2nd time was our actual reservations.

 

You can always walk out the 2nd time... just be prepared to be heckled. 🤣

Royal is just so different than other cruise lines.  Our first on Royal this summer, and it may be my last.  I don't love that you have to reserve everything.  I don't love that the app is terrible.  I don't love that there is no consistency in when you make reservations, so from day 60-day of booking you have to check every day.  I don't love that I can't see my bed configuration on my reservation.  That's just for starters.

4 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

In my experience, always the same comedians and mostly the same routines (but there are always exceptions).

 

Years ago we met one of the comedians in Central Park after seeing his show the night before. We told him we thought he was great and asked if he changed it up a bit b/c we would go back if he did. He seemed to appreciate the compliment and told us he did try to change his act some from night to night. So we went again and he was true to his word. The other comedian, whom we didn't care for much, didn't change a thing.

So maybe worth booking twice if I can I guess.  On other cruise lines the comedians change 1/2 way through the 7 day cruise.

Does anyone know if it is the same comedians all week with the same routine every time?

3 hours ago, PWP-001 said:

The 5% convenience fee is to help offset the cost Royal incurs to submit credit card payments.  No, Royal isn't paying 5%:  based upon their high volume, I'd guess their cost (merchant discount) is right under 2%.  Yes, that's a small cost they could eat, given how much they earn in the casino from GAMBLERS.

 

However, many non-gamblers use the casino as an ATM to withdrawal cash, charging it to their credit card.  There are dozens of threads on Cruise Critic where passengers share how to do this, cheating the system and Royal.  

 

Also, on a 14 day cruise on another line, I was at a table when a passenger plopped down as a $50 Blackjack table, called for $5,000 in chips, literally played 3 hands and cashed out.  I saw her do that twice.  And I can imagine she did it other times when I wasn't there.  If I'm right, her purpose was "manufactured spending," a practice credit card companies referred to as "gaming the system" and they deem prohibited.

 

So, the 5% convenience fee is intended to discourage room charges for anything but gambling.  

 

Personally I think as a cost savings measure they should institute the 5% fee even for slot machines for those players that haven't reached PRIME.  However, to not penalize the true gambler, on that very first cruise where they are charged the fee, it should be refunded once they hit PRIME, proving their appetite for gambling.

 

And to all those gamblers that won't hit PRIME... every machine does have a slot where you can insert your $1, $5, $10, & $20 bills.

 

 

It seems like the new to Royal gambler isn't encouraged to spend money in the casino. I have no interest in using the casino as an ATM and have no idea why someone would do that.  I simply want to gamble some, using my SeaPass card because I don't want to carry a purse or cash around the ship at all.  I can guarantee you I would spend more just handing a SeaPass card to the dealer than handing them a $20 bill, even though it is essentially the same thing.  Now, with an extra 5% tacked on if I use the SeaPass at a table, I'll think twice about gambling at tables.  I would think if they wanted to get people hooked on gambling in the casino they would encourage the ease of just handing the SeaPass card to the dealer.  I can guarantee you they don't lose money on casino offers to frequent gamblers.  Just one of many things that I am finding out I don't like about Royal!

2 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

I like Carnival on YouTube better... Way more examples of drunken brawls.  That's makes for great late night viewing. 🙂

Never experienced one single fight on any of the Carnival cruises we were on.  

On 5/14/2023 at 10:24 AM, firefly333 said:

Lol I feel like I get stink eye here because I do carnival. Carnival prices are higher than rcl is why I only have the one booked. There are a few I'd like to try. I wanted jubilee, but harmony is cheaper for a balcony than a inside on jubilee. I'm hoping prices on newest ships come down. 3 princess, 3 ncl, 1 celebrity.  I thought princess was a bit staid tbh. I want to try HAL. I'll be the highest tier on carnival next cruise. I like their fast food and comedians better. They were the only 2 choices out of texas for a while and I liked to alternate Mdr menus. Got tired of the same so alternated.

 

I really dont get why royal pax feel so uppity toward carnival.  And yes I think they do love to feel superior. I read comments and hear it a lot. I get tired of the attitude. I guess people need to feel they are better than others. 

Completely agree!  And I always shock Royal people when I say my family preferred Carnival over Disney lol!  I find most Royal people who think Carnival is beneath them either have never sailed Carnival or did so on a booze cruise weekend cruise in college 30 years ago.  So, they have no real basis for their snobbery.

4 minutes ago, Lorey2007 said:

I emailed her and she responded within one hour and said she sent the request to the ship.

That is awesome but it shouldn't have to be that way. Hope it all works out for you!

34 minutes ago, RFerrington said:

Yes

Crazy.  Such a disincentive to blow money in the casino.  Guess I'll be sticking to slots because I won't remember to carry cash, and I don't want to carry cash around. This will be our first Royal cruise, and there are some definite negatives compared to other cruise lines.

On 5/12/2023 at 7:01 PM, Tree_skier said:

Only at a table not at a machine.  I have done this on each of my last 4 cruises and not been charged anything.

So, to clarify-if I stick in my SeaPass card and start playing on a slot machine there is no extra charge.  But if I hand the SeaPass card to the dealer at a table and say "Put it on my SeaPass card"  there is an extra 5% charge to play?  If this is true, then crazy, and a total disincentive to gamble.  People don't like to see actual cash flying out of their hands.  I truly don't understand why the charge then.

On 4/25/2023 at 8:01 PM, tunafish said:

unless you are PRIME with the casino there will be a 5% service fee for such transactions (100% sure for tables, not sure on slots). But once you are prime the transaction is free and if you have some cashback on your card you already have an advantage (kinda joking)

So you are saying if I play in the casino and just put it on my room I get charged a service fee for that?  Seems crazy to me, and a disincentive to play.  I don't necessarily want to carry a bunch of cash around the ship.

On 5/2/2023 at 8:42 AM, binro01 said:

The First Full Day.

min a sucker for good eggs Benedict but it’s near impossible to get them at the buffet so off to the MDR I go. Ship is quite full so lines galore. 

 

Ohh the things I’ll endure for breakfast of champions. Unfortunately the holendese sauce was just alright but the eggs were poached perfectly. Not enough tartness in the sauce and it was just bland. The fruit plate is pretty large for me. I could do with half the pineapple and cantaloupe (rock melon for those across the pond) Maybe a small wedge of watermelon too would be nice. 

 

 

from there the boys and I went up to the Solarium to get some loungers and then get mom. 
 

they are actively discouraging chair hogging now which was a pleasant surprise. 
 

We had a nice soak in the canter levered hot tub right next to the solarium by the forward elevators right before the solarium entrance then it became a kiddy pool which signaled my exit. Worked out well. I was in for 20 minutes with my son and that was enough. 
 

At 12:30 we had a reservation for lunch at Giovanni’s table. This is our favorite restaurant on Allure and it did not disappoint. Pro tip. The lunch menu is almost identical to dinner, so if you don’t need Osso Bucco save yourself 50% and go for a sea day lunch. It will give you half a chance to work off the calories lol. 
 

 

 

After lunch we needed to work off the food coma and then take a nap. Lol  life of vacation. Eat. Relax. Get dressed out of swimwear eat again do a quick workout, nap. And the EAT again!

 

Tonight was French night in the MDR. I went Indian. Lol. Which was a great choice. I had my filet for lunch. No need for it for dinner. Don’t need the gout to flare up! But I did have French onion soup and crème brûlée. Ohh and chocolate cake. Why the heck not. The onion soup was very good as well as the Indian lamb dish. Dessert was meh. The Crème Brûlée almost broke and was a little grainy. The chocolate cake was not my thing. A little bland. 
 

 

from dinner we went and relaxed in the Schooner Bar. Played some trivia and allowed for the Casino to heat up. I taught my son how to play craps and we combined bankrolls and we played for an hour and walked out up before going to the comedy show. I have a craps strat that keeps house advantage low and covers a few numbers. He picked it up quick. And was a fun Father Son bonding experience. 
 

Then off to the comedy club and bed. A busy sea day!

Do you know if you can order fettucine alfredo at Giovanni's for lunch?  How was the comedy show?  How fast did that line go for breakfast in the MDR?  Thanks!

For our cruise, it seems the only lunch reservations you can make in advance are at Izumi, Giovanni's, and Chops?  Why can't you book Sabor in advance?

3 hours ago, Gifguy said:

Let's pump the brakes for a minute...

 

 

I will bet my left pinky ring (sorry got crossed up with the "Mafia style" longshoreman thread) - that vast majority of rule breaking and damage is done by....wait for it....ADULTS. Between fights, drunkenness, overt displays of public "affection" that would be close to a NC-17 rating, and smoking all sorts of things on board. And here, kids are being vilified. 

I totally agree with this.  And I feel that children behave this way because their PARENTS allow them to.  So again, the punishment should fall on the parents, then MAYBE the parents would actually discipline their kids.  

1 hour ago, RockHoundTX said:

This is a great point. Unfortunately, it goes WAY beyond this. I was at a high school sporting event and listened to a 15yo girl bragging to several other teens about how much money she had made on OnlyFans (an 18+ adult site). Evidently, she had made enough to pay for a new car!!! There is just so much wrong with this situation and it all starts with the parents (or lack there-of).   

Just sickening.  All I can do is pray for our youth.  Social media is just ruining them.

44 minutes ago, resetjet said:

Last night on Wonder, elevator door glass smashed out.  I heard to kids in the elevator talking about who did it, etc.....The elevator had to be taken out of service.  I am quite sure this is more then a $12,000 repair bill.  It is customed painted tempered glass, that has to be custom made and installed by an elevator professional.  Kids were everywhere after 1.  Last night I was laughing at all the kids hiding from security after 1AM, they are told to go back to their rooms and they just relocate, they think its fun to play hide and seek with no repercussions.    They need to be told to go back and if they are caught out again, they will have to stay in their room or get off at the next port.  RC is building ships that attract this and it will continue unless they police it.

But WHERE ARE THE PARENTS?!?!  I just simply would not let my kids be out roaming the ship at that time of night!  I guess people aren't aware that sexual predators cruise just like the rest of us?  

1 hour ago, jean87510 said:

This is really sad to read this.  We encountered a lot of this on a 5 day Labor Day weekend cruise on Carnival from NYC last August.  Yes we were nuts for booking but we had to time it for 3 of our kids plus daughter's BF work and school schedule.  It was a double graduation present for 2020 HS graduation and my son's college graduation.  On the social media roll call, people were getting into fights online due to the reports of wild kids and the parents kept arguing hey they had 2 years of lock down, they are just letting off steam.  This was the Carnival Magic.  Multiple fights daily on pool deck, buffet, restaurants.  When I got up to go to get coffee around 5 one morning, the crew was cleaning up the ice cream fights from night before.  Kids ripped the tread barrier for the steps around pool deck that is used to prevent slipping.  Woman fell and I think broke an ankle.  Of course we had a great time but we wouldn't go near the pool deck.  My daughter said 2 people got in a fight in line for Guy's because the one parents kids cut in front of everyone.  There's more stories but it would take me a while to type.  Embarkation and Disembarking could have been made into a documentary on how not to behave in public.  And because I'm a glutton for punishment, I booked a 4 day Carnival in August out of Jacksonville.  Should be fun!

I've been on Carnival multiple times and never experienced what you are describing.  But that was before covid, so....it seems like the post-covid world is a different world.  I think I was naive in believing that there would be no long term damage.  We have our first Royal cruise on Allure this summer so we will see I guess.  Sad that people have to behave this way.

2 hours ago, twangster said:

Youth have been damaging ships (and hotels) for decades.  Current policies exist because of previous transgressions.   Occasionally a dysfunctional family boards a cruise ship and stuff happens.  However that doesn't mean that ALL youth behave this poorly week after week, cruise after cruise or that it's a generational issue.  Bad parents have existed for decades too.   This can and does happen anytime.  It's not a spring break thing.

 

This sounds like one bad set of youth, maybe even one bad individual who influenced others to behave beyond their normal limits.  Hopefully the family belonging to the youth ring leader are put off the ship and have to pay for the damages as indicated.  

 

I've seen something similar happen and it wasn't during spring break.  A child around age 8 or 9 was in the habit of throwing a tantrum and would punch random people.  As it turns out one of those people included the staff Captain who happened to be walking through an area during a tantrum.  While this child didn't damage the ship their behavior was unacceptable.  The father of the child was himself a special individual who got into a heated exchange with the staff Captain over the incident.  They were confined to their cabin and put off in San Juan, the next stop.  It happens. 

 

Some people have little respect for others, people or property, and their children learn from the parents.  That has been happening for generations and will continue with future generations.  It's not about the current generation of parents and it's not a reflection of today's youth in general.  

Agree!  My teenagers would NEVER act this way on a cruise.  As parents we set expectations and rules.  They break those rules, they deal with the consequences. 

On 3/18/2023 at 5:25 AM, ZoeyVictoria said:

We were also asked for money from a random young teenage girl.  She would have paid us back later 😂. When did kids start asking strangers for cash?  Just wrong in so many ways!

When they started cash app and go fund me type sites.  They learn you don't have to actually work to earn money and you can just go begging strangers for it.

On 1/15/2023 at 3:25 PM, sailingduo said:

We sail the end of Feb on Allure.  As of a week or so ago I have been able to arrange all the show times we wanted.

 

Did you do that on the app or on the website?

10 minutes ago, LaceyJenee said:

 I wasnt sure if I should create a new post or post here. I'm hoping to see pictures and reviews posted of the new menus. If there's an existing thread for them please direct me to it.

The pictures of the menus are in one of the first posts of this thread.

19 hours ago, footzz said:

Yes, lobster is served once on a 7 day sailing on the 6th day, or 2nd formal night. 

Thank you!!!!

On 12/10/2022 at 3:46 PM, niksmom630 said:

it was served last night. And I also thought that was odd. 
 

I can’t ever recall a Cozumel port day on

ANY sailing that was also a formal night in the MDR. 
 

Cozumel is also usually a long day in port, so always one of the slower ones in the MDR

from my experience. Our all aboard time was 3:30 ship time, so lots of people were still dressed up for the formal night last night. 
 

Or perhaps all part of Royals grand plan to reduce lobster consumption???? 😊😉
 

 

I have a question: do they only serve lobster one formal night, and is it only on the 2nd formal night (the 6th night)?  We are on Allure for the first time next summer and want to reserve some specialty dining and trying to plan it all out.  Thank you!