Thisguylikestocruise

Noticed on my recent cruise there’s a lot of parents that let kids roam around unsupervised. They need to realize it’s not a daycare where everyone gets background checks, there’s thousands of strangers onboard. Parents normally wouldn’t let small children walk alone in a city, so why do they trust a cruise ship so much. 

2 hours ago, Mum2Mercury said:

Multiple thoughts: 

 

- I'm with those who question how a person could get under the bed. 

- Even if he did, what kind of chance was he taking?  It's possible the guests would come in and take a long nap, trapping him for hours.  And what if an angry father or husband caught him?  

- While this guy is a serious weirdo and creep and deserves what's coming to him -- firing, for starters, I'm not getting worked up over it.  He's one idiot; let's not make assumptions about the other crew members.  

If it’s anything like horror movies, there would be a trap door underneath the bed he could use to enter and escape from. 

41 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

I'm trying to figure out the logistics of that though.

Does he hear the shower running in a cabin then sneak inside? Or does he pick up on patterns of certain cabins and stay inside when he knows the passenger is coming back for a shower?

He'd have to have all that staked out pretty good to avoid getting stuck under the bed for hours on end.

Maybe he was caught but claimed he was cleaning under the bed and got stuck. The passengers were probably thinking their stateroom attendant was extra thorough cleaning their room. I don’t understand the logistics of it otherwise. 

12 hours ago, link99 said:

The attendant was also hiding under the bed watching people as they were in the shower.

This is going to give me nightmares 

We were told three weeks ago on Wonder MTD without reservations started at 8:15pm. They gave us a business card with 8:15 written on it, and were told to come back then. It didn’t really make a difference if you had reservations or not. Both lines got mixed together and were sent to deck 3 for overflow tables. Johnny Rockets staff were filling in as MDR waiters since it was overcrowded and the line was out to the elevators. Your only option is the 5pm table or 8:15pm-9pm. Anytime in between that you won’t just wait in line, in my experience you get turned away. 

I looked on there website and googled it. There was nothing mentioned about a baggage policy update. Forcing you to leave luggage at the next station seems really harsh. Anywhere to see this policy update?

Have had a few massages on land, the hot stone massage on the ship was the best massage ever. 

58 minutes ago, BillOh said:

Ok, next question,   Anyone done the thermal suite on Wonder? We did this on Jewel a couple of times and it was wonderful.   I remember when Oasis came out in 2009 I think it was people said that they didn't limit the number of people and it was always crowded and hard to get a spot to relax.  We toured it on Allure in 2011 and verified with people there, and they agreed, but that info is now 13 years old. 

My wife and I just got off Wonder and had a 1 week thermal suite pass. When you go to the spa it’s downstairs to the deck below. We really enjoyed it overall, most times there were never more than 2 people. There’s 8 heated loungers, 2 tropical rain showers(one shower is much larger than the other). 1 wet sauna which was really intense, I had to cover my head with a towel to tolerate it. 1 dry sauna. Locker rooms next to the thermal suite and a room with fruit infused water.

Only negative thing was the wet sauna wasn’t cleaned during our cruise, there was water on the floor that accumulated debris from people’s sandals and after a few days it was floating around. Also we were charged $260, and refunded $256, nobody at the spa could explain what this was for. Everything was booked months in advance from the cruise planner, including tips. 

Looking at the prices on the Carnival website, wow Royal Caribbean really is higher priced. Not sure what we get from that higher price?🧐 

Jason Liberty or any greedy CEO that raises prices so aggressively should have their income tax raised 90%. 

Yes, after the next two cruises that are already booked. Looking at the prices it’s not worth it anymore. There’s so many options out there for vacations. 

I’ve stayed at Marcella Royal Hotel 2 weeks on my honeymoon and am booked there again this fall, 13 years later. It’s a 4 star hotel with fair prices and a beautiful rooftop bar, which includes breakfast overlooking the city each morning.
 

Only con, and this is why it’s less money, is it’s an extra 10-15 minute walk compared to more centrally located hotels. We personally had no issue with this, but if you have limited mobility it’s something to consider. 

Not many situations I’d fight someone but if they steal my passport it’s going to be an all out brawl. 

3 hours ago, lovesthebeach2 said:

We’ve never noticed any problems with kids on any Med cruises. I think it will be fine but what ship is it?

Odyssey 

What would a 9 night Greek Isles cruise from Civitavecchia in late September be like? Already have it booked, wish I would’ve picked Celebrity for this itinerary instead.  

3 hours ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

One must anticipate children when school is out and holiday weeks.

 

To do otherwise is to stick one's head in the sand and complain about what you see when you pull your head out.

 

To expect an adult only cruise on Royal is to doom your vacation to disaster if it is critical to the vacation experience.

 

You know the time that is best for what you want.

 

It’s not about expecting adults only. I think it’s reasonable to expect parents not to abandon really young children for lengthy timeframes. I have no problem with kids unless they’re grabbing food with bare hands, running into people, or purposely trying to disrupt other passengers vacation. It’s hard to predict when schools are out around the world, many of the kids are not from the U.S.

2 hours ago, blueslily said:

All these big ships doing short cruises. Man, goodness. 

Another way to boost profits. It’s more money per night compared to the 7 night cruises. 

1 hour ago, IAMGPW said:

I am just wondering if all Royal cruises are packed with children.  I have nothing against them, but, a lot of parents were busy drinking and not watching their kids.  Also, the pool was FULL of children.  This was two weeks ago and it wasn't even a school break.

 

Thank you.

Same floating daycare I experienced on Wonder recently. February 2023 it was relaxing. Not sure what happened on the cruise two weeks ago. Mainly on sea days. It was taken over by unsupervised kids under 10. Sprinting barefoot on deck 15, came full speed around a corner outside the WJ and knocked a drink from my hand. Kept running. Elevators had all buttons pushed and kids ran off laughing. 

The free beds near the pool were available by 2pm when some people started to head back to the ship.

15 hours ago, euro cruiser said:

If you book entirely through Trenitalia and go for the 9:25 Frecce from Civitavecchia you'd be in Florence (S.M. Novella) at 12:11. Trenitalia allows just 17 minutes between trains, as both use the main track head so it would be a short, fast walk from one to the other.  You could force a longer gap if you want one by booking a later train to Florence, the next Frecce would be at 10:50, arriving at 12:27.

 

You could also look to book the Rome to Florence segment with Italotreno, they have departures at 10:40 (arrives 12:17) or at 10:55 (arrives 12:31).

Appears to be the best option. If I choose the 9:25 departure, I should probably get off the ship by 8 I’m guessing. Looks like I need to walk 15 minutes or take a bus if it’s available. 

Love the heated pool. Best one I’ve been in. It’s actually heated unlike some pools that are advertised as heated yet feel cold(Disney resorts)

11 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

It's not an overly generous amount of time but it should be okay as you're on the Frecce train from Civitavecchia so you'll be arriving without the long walk to the main platforms (which occurs with the Regional trains from Civi).

 

My question to you would be: what are you going to do in Civi until 11:25?  Most ships kick you off around 9-9:30 at latest.

True, when I buy the tickets I was going to try for 10am. Some earlier options were for a connection in Pisa and with a longer travel time. 

Did a mock booking for 2 adults cruise port to Florence. I was thinking of disembarking Odyssey OTS around 8am. Is 18 minutes enough time to connect for the next train in Rome?
 

30 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Unlike most places now, you can't count on it. I would plan to have cash just in case. 

 

RomeInLimo is quoting me €240 cash for 2 transfers(FCO-hotel, hotel-cruise port), and I’m not sure if the city tourist tax in Rome and Florence are cash or credit. I was hoping not to carry a lot of cash, but looks like that may not work.

Taxi at the airport looks like the best option. Hotel in Rome is a 20 minute walk to the train station. Still trying to decide if I want to take the train to the cruise port or use private transfer. 

Do the taxis take credit cards?