Justalone

How many calories per cookie?
Are they chunky?  Or smooth and creamy?

Any cookies on Princess that are diabetic friendly?

23 hours ago, Denny01 said:

I love the Sky lounge on S- and M-Class ships, but love the E-Class Eden on the stern with fantastic views. And there is a winding wrapaaround ramp that has many seating areas that are private and very quiet areas we used to play cards in and socialize with a great view. We were able to find great places to sit and relax in the Eden Cafe area and other spots throughout the ship so not sure what the ‘no quiet areas’ is all about. I have major hearin issues as so many of us do and I’m sensitive to load lounges. 

 

As with all new designs, especially with such a radical change as the E-Class is, it may take a while for many to adjust to the changes and what is available that you are ‘use to’ on another ship.

 

If I designed a ship, it would have the E-Class Eden in the aft area and the four dining venues for standard dining plus many Infinite Balconies and the outside deck (with a bit more cover); I’d have the S-Class Sky Lounge and Martini Bar; I’d have the M-Class Solarium Pool. As you can see, I’m cutting out a ton of cabins for the common areas so no company that wants to survie would build it. 

 

So how to I get all of that........I cruise on the Silly in Oct-Not 2019; cruise on the Alex Oct-Nov 2020 and the Millie in May 2021, plus work  some more X in when I can. Yup, doing some river cruises and we don’t even talk much about those ships mainly because the itinerancy is the whole point, but with  ocean cruising, the ship is very important.....to me, and Celebrity has a great mix. Thankfully, they built the E-Class to differ from all the others. 

 

Den

 

New to cruising.
So, what is the Silly, Alex, and Millie?

6 minutes ago, DaveandDiane said:

I am interested in knowing this also. We were on The Tahitian Princess (one of the R ships) and there was a self serve laundry onboard.

I do not see that R ship listed on Oceania website.

47 minutes ago, dog said:

My last meal at Crown Grill on the Star did not meet my expectations. And my meal on the Sky in Sabatinis was a huge disappointment. Up until then I would have recommended both of these Specialty restaurants. 

Can you elaborate?

10 hours ago, jwattle said:

Would normally agree, however with a really thick cut, if you want mid rare throughout, butterflying can give a beautiful result, and Crown Grill is a perfect example. ❤️

 

Will the Crown Grill sous-vide your protein if you request it the day before? 
Your steak should be perfect to your preferred doneness.  From end to end.

19 minutes ago, GottaLuvCruising said:

They will announce "no saving of seats" over and over, but people always save seats.  

The theaters on Princess are inadequate to meet the demand, so you really need to get there early if you have several people who want to sit together.  

 

5 Skies has set pieces that block much of the side views of stage, so for that show you want seats in the middle.  I didn't care for the show, but it seems many others did like it.  Those set pieces are gone for Rock Opera so most seats are fine.  

 

They will have a couple fly on entertainers that vary by sailing.  We saw two production shows, one comedian twice and a fly on singer.  

Helpful reply.  Thank you!

New to cruising.  But considering this cruise line as my first.

Are people allowed to save seats in the theater for these shows?  1?  2?

Is there a Dress Code?

Can one bring in drinks and snacks to the theater?
Is there a variety of entertainment offered, and what is the quality?

Thanks.

On 12/20/2019 at 8:01 PM, 2old4this said:

As for water, we were given two bottles everyday whether we drank them or not.  With the WIFI package, I paid while at home $199 for the two weeks, I could use the WIFI one computer or phone at a time.  There were three in my suite which means we bumped each other off the system as we needed to search or send an email.  No problem!  Two of us slept on twins in the bedroom.  Our third on the couch which became a double bed easily and quickly.  All three of us slept well.  The suite balcony is two cabins wide has a table with chairs and two comfortable lounges.  Privacy walls made the balcony a favorite place for coffees and rolls.  Our bathtub had a wild water flow for relaxation and the shower enclosure large for a big person.  People left their wheel chairs and walkers closed up and outside the doorways.  Our cabin staffer was to us and doing our requests as fast as we could think of something to make we three happier.  As I wrote earlier, you make your travel in a suite, it was my first time after many cruises, and the cruise becomes something very special, if for no other reason but space and country club living.  I don't work for Princess.  I know it crossed your mind, dear reader.

1a_HAWAII WITH KIDS.pdf 1.78 MB · 16 downloads

Hello.  New to cruising.
I have read it is against ships rules for safety reasons, walkers, wheelchairs, and mobility scooters are not allowed in hallways.  It that not true for passengers in Suites?

Time to buy options?  Time to take advantage who bailed out of the stock?

9 minutes ago, loge23 said:

Just discussing this last night with the neighbors (also Princess fans).

The last few cruises - all mostly adult cruises with extended itineraries,  I'd say, umm, informally: 10% formal, 30-40% in business-type suits, 50% neat/casual, some say "country club casual". Also noticed very few in formal attire after dinner around the ship. 

To answer your question though, no, you do not. Dress as you wish. Whether you enjoy dressing formal or not, you will not feel out of place. But! No shorts, jeans, or tees in the MDR!

I am new to cruising.
So, what about footwear?  Does it matter. No one looks at feet.

Is Japanese A5A available on All Inclusive?

Food prepared table side on Teppanyaki grill?

1 minute ago, jwattle said:

I said that I *will* eat rare, but I *do* like it warm 😄

 

1 minute ago, jwattle said:

I said that I *will* eat rare, but I *do* like it warm 😄

 

Ah, ok.

5 minutes ago, jwattle said:

I have; I am a medium rare girl (and I will, admittedly eat rare, but I do like it to at least be warm, lol). That method seems to work. 

lsnt beef prepared rare = cool center?

8 minutes ago, Thrak said:

We've never really found the specialty venues to be a "good value" as we simply can't eat the amount of food served. The last time we went (comped) we got the stink-eye because we not only didn't finish the meal but didn't have dessert. They acted offended. We also have an issue with the quality of meat and the preparation in Crown Grill. The last cruise I ordered Rib Eye and it wasn't very flavorful. We normally order our beef medium rare but they seem to have an issue managing to prepare it that way. If we have the filet the outer half of it is medium rare and the inner half is extremely rare. This has happened several times. If we do eat in Crown Grill again I guess we will need to order it "medium" which seems silly. Actually, if we do eat in Crown Grill again I may not order beef. Pretty sad in a steak house.

what grade of beef  is used at the steak house?
is the protein sous-vide?

14 minutes ago, getting older slowly said:

 

the Value Not Bad, since it does feel more like a restaurant.

 

the Crown Grill is good, but the menu is something you would do only once or twice a cruise

 

Sabatini's Trattoria menu we do not like....

so do not go there, we liked the old menu...  but that is us.

 

Mainly go to MDR Club Class.... and so far we have been happy with that

 

Cheers Don

14 minutes ago, getting older slowly said:

 

the Value Not Bad, since it does feel more like a restaurant.

 

the Crown Grill is good, but the menu is something you would do only once or twice a cruise

 

Sabatini's Trattoria menu we do not like....

so do not go there, we liked the old menu...  but that is us.

 

Mainly go to MDR Club Class.... and so far we have been happy with that

 

Cheers Don

What makes MDR Club Class unique and better then the other specialty restaurants.  Can you give examples of why cuisine is exceptional in Club Class.  What do you enjoy eating there?

41 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Here's a pic of the A and B veranda heads on Riviera and Marina where someone can opt for the tub shower vs the stall shower. However, the R ships A and B veranda cabins do not have the tub and the remaining floor area as well as the shower stall itself is somewhat more compact. 

 

In either case, it is the shower stall that can be a size challenge. The space works just fine for us (again, we're sailors used to yacht heads). But (and pardon my lack of delicacy), if someone is "obese," showering in those R ship veranda heads will not be a carefree experience.

Thank you for posting the pic.

Yikes, that is a small shower stall!  
Would you say that some folks as large as you characterized would have a difficult time turning around in the shower stall?  Maybe leave the glass door open?

And the location of the toilet?  I would feel sorry for those who are excessively corpulent.  How would one sit comfortably on it after having a fine meal?  I guess one can squeeze their legs together when  one feels the urge to go.  Looks like the tiny space one finds in an airline toilet.

To pay all that money to get a premium category stateroom, and to not have a decent sizes bathroom seems so wrong to me.

Doe any have a photo of the bathrooms on Crystal for comparison?

45 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Yes, I can see the "heads" in As and Bs taking some "getting used to."

The new doors (vs  shower curtains) in the NEXT remodels of the R ships are a terrific improvement. But, for anyone of larger girth, that's one tight fit!

Considering Oceania as first cruise.

Re:  one of  Larger girth?     Are the bathrooms really that tight?  Too small that one can not sit comfortably on the loo?

Thanks.

4 hours ago, Shawnino said:

If you're doing left-field, leave the crowds, scammers, and pickpockets behind in Barcelona and get out to Montserrat. Nature and a small monastic community up on a jagged hillside (Mont... Serrat...) an hour out of the city. One highlight is the short daily children's choir performance at 1pm.

New to cruising and considering first cruise that includes a stop in Barcelona.

What are the scams?

How bad are the pickpockets in Barcelona? 

And where do they usually congregate?

Have you been a victim in Barcelona?  

What is your best advice to avoid being victimized?

Thank you.

57 minutes ago, snoozecrooze said:

Hey @TXRed, welcome back to cruising! I haven't been on an Alaskan cruise yet so I hope this still applies. But from my experience, you will get lobster tail on a formal night (usually the later/latter ones) and during that night, you can definitely order more than one. Note that it comes on top of a bed of lemon-arugula risotto, so if you only want more lobster but less risotto, you can ask them to have your additional lobster tails on the same plate.

So, is it cold water or warm water lobster.  What size?  And quality of the product?

Thanks,

1 hour ago, Twiga said:

Aloha 1, I would take all of the culinary classes that you can!  They are fun.  The three you list sound delicious!  The classes are tailored for the cruise, which makes them even more interesting.  All of the prep work and clean up is done for you.  All you do is watch the Chef's demonstration and then cook.  Wine is also served while cooking.  They give you the recipes at the end.  I have made several of the dishes and they came out great!

Do you get to eat what you create?

On 1/15/2020 at 8:54 AM, kluv2cruz said:

Have you noticed when you’re at the international café that you never smell coffee? You know when you walk into a yummy Coffee shop the smell is divine. Are they using real beans to make a latte/cappuccino? I know it tastes fine but curious why it doesn’t have that divine fragrance.

What does it smell like?

37 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

Newbies to cruising may not understand the system.  While you can remove the auto tips it isn’t a good idea to for several reasons.  A big one is that doing so places a black mark against the servers and housekeeping staff.  I don’t think that is your intent.

 

it isn’t feasible to only tip certain servers.  They have to turn those tips over to the top pool.

 

if you leave the auto tips in place and then add extra cash, the servers can keep the extra.  

 

 

Thank you to all those who chimed in with your helpful responses.   That is what I will do.   Leave the auto gratuities in place  on the final bill,  and let the cruise line deal with how it is distributed to crew.  The daily per diem seems reasonable enough.  But, if I want to recognize extraordinary service, extra cash to specific crew is appropriate.  Correct?  

Thanks again for those who provided positive feedback to my question.

Still lots to learn as a newbie to cruising!

21 minutes ago, jondfk said:

I've had varied experience with tacos from the Salty Dog.  At their best, they were okay+.  At the worst still not the worst thing I had that particular trip.  My town in northern California has (literally) one taqueria for every other restaurant in town, that's right, 54 taquerias in a town with 102 total restaurants - so we know our tacos.

 

Still, after a few days on a long cruise I start experiencing withdrawals from my regular intake of tacos, in such circumstances this new addition is in my opinion welcome.  Far better than the Mexican lunch typically offered once each cruise on Grand class ships.  

 

A better option on Royal ships is the daily taco bar in Horizon which was surprisingly not bad and included a full compliment of condiments.  Fillings varied day to day but occasionally included grilled, spiced shrimp which was really quite good.

New to cruising.
On the Royal,  for tacos, do passengers serve themselves or food servers do the serving?

Thank you.

I am new to cruising,  and considering taking my first cruise vacation this year.  I have to admit I have much to learn.

Re: Gratuities.  I was told by my travel agent, that although all cruise lines automatically add auto gratuities to ones  final bill, the auto gratuities is totally optional.  One can pay the amount of the auto gratuities, add more, add less, or totally remove the auto gratuities by going to the pursuers desk on the last night of cruise.

One question:  can one specifically designate who the gratuities go to?  For example, room attendant, servers, bar tenders, Maitre D’, others?

So, I do not understand the rude comments here.  So,  what are the reasons for all the rude comments?

Sorry to be so ignorant on this topic.  It seems like gratuities, dress codes, and food are hot topics that many cruisers complain about.

Thank you.

41 minutes ago, Petoonya said:

Justalone, it's all opinion. You can talk to some regular O customers here who are still thrilled with the product including me. I've only done six O cruises and headed back for more in April. Love the ambiance, the smaller ships, being closer to the water, friendly passengers, outstanding service and of course the dining. I experience "happy"- I come home happy.

 

Cruised on all the main stream cruise lines including Celebrity and Princess in recent years and gave them up. Too big, impersonal, nickel and dime-ing, noisy and a decline in service and dining. Never had a single problem with Oceania and never missed a port, but there's certainly a first time for everything.There are people here who also appreciate Celebrity and Princess. But they are considered mainstream cruise lines while Oceania is premium- you get what you pay for.

I steer my friends to Oceania every chance I get.

Think you'll be quite pleased.

 

 

41 minutes ago, Petoonya said:

 

 

 

Thank you, Petoonya,  
I am leaning toward an Oceania cruise as my first choice.  It seems the majority of posters on this forum, with a few exceptions, seem to really like their experience on Oceania.  Cuisine sounds amazing and delicious, small ship and passenger count, and excellent service appeals to me.   A bit more expensive than than Princess and Celebrity though.  Guess you get what you pay for?