sdear

51 minutes ago, twangster said:

 

Absolutely I believe my bids for next week are solely there in case something opens up unexpectedly.  That happens quite a bit.  When you have thousands of guests there are often cases where someone makes a last minute change of plans.   

 

Under the current cancelation policy though, there is no reason to tell Royal you need to cancel last minute.  If you can't make it in the final weeks before sailing you are better off not cancelling with Royal in case of a rare event that requires Royal to cancel or modify a cruise and offer refunds or FCC.  

 

However not everyone on a cruise is a member of, or active on CC.  It's possible someone did win a cabin today but we'll never know because they don't use CC.   

We cruise Sunday and I bid, so I should hear by tomorrow.  I will let you all know either way.   

13 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

 

It’s still availsble on my Dec 23 cruise on Allure 

Still on my planner too, and we leave Sunday.  

3 minutes ago, amybk27 said:

Just received our up email this am.  We book the Harmony for winter break (popular week) Feb. 17th.  When we book Monday, and I called again yesterday to check, there was no room higher than a crown loft so that is what we booked.  We asked to be put on a waiting list for the Star loft.  Well on the up email this am, they had the Star Loft, 1300, Villa Suite, 2100, 2 Bdr Aqua 500.  I put in a bid for Star and Aqua.  What I am wondering is did they purposely not sell these rooms in hopes of making more money?  I figured we wouldn't get an royalup email as there was nothing to move up to available.   

We leave Sunday and I have been calling for weeks looking for an upgrade from our JS.   We got an email yesterday to RoyalUp to a GS, OS, or Royal Suite,  so I am wondering the same.   When I call the casino office, they show sold out.    

23 minutes ago, Ashland said:

It's doubtful I'll get a chance at this. I'm booked in a JS for my May Med/Greece (Vision) and my Oct Snowbird (Adventure) as both cruises anything above my JS is not available. Right ?

Our cruise this Saturday is supposedly sold out, but I got an email to upgrade bid today .  We are in a JS, and they offered bids on an OS, GS, or Royal suite.  

On ‎11‎/‎27‎/‎2018 at 8:48 AM, John&LaLa said:

 

She doesn't seem to have much luck. 😉  I got the opt in completed through the Casino. C&A can do it as well

I got the email today for our cruise this Sunday.   I called Casino Royale to see if there were upgrades available and they said the ship is "full" according to what she sees.   So curious why I got an upgrade email if the ship is full .   

8 hours ago, Wolffie89 said:

I'm with you on this but I need a definite answer. Only real gamblers are going to purchase $2000 from the casino before they cruise. So I think rcl is looking at it as they are making you go to the casino since you already bought chips and will ultimately gamble. I think they are taking a chance. I believe only the $200 will have to be used and the rest will be regular chips for you to do whatever with. I'll be on a new years cruise comped by the casino so I'll report back if no one does before  

We cruise Sunday, so I will ask and post back.   I did not buy a package as there are too many unknowns at this point for me.   I will definitely let you all know 🙂  

31 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Last I checked Royal was in the business to make money. With no requirement to play through the original amount they are guaranteed to lose money. If someone approved letting only the bonus amount to be played and the rest could be cashed out then they should be fired as they just opened the gate for anyone looking for free money to gamble with. 

Most land casinos do just that....they force you to use the bonus money.   And most gamblers don't stop at just the bonus amount...…...I say that from experience.   My bet is they only "make " you use the bonus money..the rest can be cashed.  RCI's "bet" is they hope you will play ( and lose) , the entire amount.   Either way, if you gamble, and you "plan " on spending (win or lose) , it's a deal for gamblers.  

25 minutes ago, Racer26 said:

I'm pretty sure you will get the whole $2200 in non-cashable chips.  Otherwise it's too easy to just convert the $200 in non-cashable chips to $1xx and have essentially no risk.

I think your wrong, I think only the 200 will be non cashable.   Time will tell once someone uses this.   

Someone recently posted their kid was able to get milkshakes on the replenishment package.  

13 minutes ago, CapeGal said:

$17 per person for Refreshment Package for our May cruise on Adventure. Used our Onboard Credit and got it for $381 for the two of us. Regularly $26 per person. Yay!

 

I wonder why some are finding their deal at $15/day? I looked and ours is definitely $17/day. That's still good (it was $26), but just wondering.

Is your next cruise in 2019 ?  I am seeing people that have cruises in the new year it's 17, but still 2018 is 15 

21 minutes ago, RW20 said:

Does the refreshment package include milkshakes? 

Every thread I read it does.   Some sat at the bar and had one, others said their kids were able to go in and get one no problem.  

We just booked the refreshment package for 15/day for our Adventure cruise coming up.  I doubt I will see it cheaper than 15/day.   

On ‎11‎/‎12‎/‎2018 at 11:33 AM, Oceans4 said:

I meant to, I really did.  First of all, kudos to all those that do LIVE trip reports!  I have enjoyed reading them and waiting for the next installments whenever anyone does a LIVE report.  But I have to say that I was having way too much fun to stop each day and write.  So I apologize for the delay in publishing....and now we can consider this a post-cruise review, which I am putting together in segments.   For the purposes of sharing information to those that may need it, I'll post what I have put together so far and will continue as I can.   

 

Drumroll please.....here is what was supposed to be my “live” report of our 6-night Adventure of the Seas Cruise (November 4-10).

 

Since this was a 6-night trip (the shortest cruise ever for me, but it worked better for some of the other couples on our trip), we flew into Fort Lauderdale the day before.  There were four couples, two of whom were flying in the day of the cruise, and two couples in Fort Lauderdale a day early.  My DH and I met up with my brother and SIL in Fort Lauderdale and were sharing a hotel room together.  We arrived around 2:00 pm, and after settling in, my brother suggested we go out and walk around town and stop in a Mexican Restaurant that he heard was fun.  We were up for anything, and off we went.  (There is actually a point to this part of my story).  I won’t make you wait....

 

So we are out walking and my brother sees the restaurant, walks in and is immediately walking towards a guy and taps him on the shoulder.  We often run into people we know.....so guy on chair spins around and “surprise!”  It’s my son and his girlfriend surprising us by joining the cruise.  Of course we thought there was something more to come, especially since my son carried on two bottles of champagne the next day instead of wine.....but as I wrote this review while sitting in the airport, cruise is over, and the champagne was just for drinking!    All in good time though.....  Discovering them coming on the trip was amazing.  Her parents are our good friends and one of the other couples on the cruise, so we had surprising them on board.  

 

Okay, let me back up and start from the beginning.

 

Embarkation was a breeze.  No lines for any category of cruiser.  We were on board in 5 minutes, having arrived at the port about 11:30 am.  There was a delay on the shuttle from the car rental place next to the port (my brother had rented a car).  The other couple on the shuttle with us had the driver stop, as the guy could not find his wallet.  We searched high and low, finally turned around and went back to Avis, everyone searched the guy’s rental car, and no wallet.  They were not going to be on our ship, so we never found out what happened, but we felt so awful for the couple; what a dreadful feeling that had to be.  Later in the day when we watched the Carnival cruise leave the port, we couldn't stop thinking about that couple.   

 

CABIN:  We were in one of the new cabins (former peekaboo bridge) on deck 11 outside the gym and solarium.  We had JS 1106 and really liked it.  My husband hits the gym every day (I’d like to say I do too, but that let's be real - that would be a fib - good intentions (as evidenced by the amount of workout clothes in my suitcase, but I only made it twice.  I got plenty of exercise though, including bicep curls throughout the day.  Just kidding, I don’t drink much, but I did consume a few Johnny Rockets milkshakes.  Cabin was spacious, clean, and location, location, location!  We loved it.  There were storage areas that we never even used.

 

DAY ONE:  Just hung around a bit waiting to get into our cabins at 1:00 pm, dropped off carry ons and went exploring.  We wanted to be sure our reservations were all modified now that we were ten people instead of 8.  There was no problem doing that at all.   A few of us had drink packages, but since we are D+, it didn’t make sense for us to get any alcohol packages, since we are social drinkers only and would never get our moneys’ worth there.  I only had one drink at night (wine with dinner).  I got the Royal Refreshment package, and loved it.  Every day I went to Windjammer to get fresh-squeezed OJ (right at the entrance of WJ), took it back to the cabin, stopped at Starbucks or whatever that coffee place is for coffee, then enjoyed both on the balcony.    We did the BOGO specialty dinner and had Chops on night one and Giovanni’s Table on night three.  (they automatically assign night one and two for the BOGO, but if they can accommodate to another night, they do, so we switched Giovanni's Table to the third night).

 

THE SURPRISE!  Son and GF hid in a booth at Chops, and I had her parents come down and said there was a problem with reservation so I needed them both.  They came down, aggravated that there was a problem, and I told them we have to talk to the manager and walked back to the booth.  Well, the scream of joy was pretty loud, thank goodness we did this during the day and not at dinner as we originally thought we would do.    So all the surprises were done, and son and girlfriend could freely walk around the ship without worrying about hiding.   

 

CHOPS:
Dinner at Chops was very good - not quite as great as we remembered it.   Those that had the filet were really happy with it.   The crab cake appetizer was always a favorite of mine, and as soon as I saw it, I knew it wasn’t the same - it was smooth like a pattie.   Mushroom soup was my first course (amazing) and I asked the others how the crabcake was, and the answers ranged from "ok" to "not good".  My husband recommended I cancel it, it just wasn't like it used to be.   We had a variety of sides, served family style, and all were very good.   Our waiter Milich (sp?) made the experience awesome. He was fun, funny, engaging, and worked so hard to please us, and we are not difficult to please.    We noticed right away that there is no assistant waiter like there used to be - Milich did everything (order taking, drinks, clearing dirty dishes, serving, etc.).  That’s a lot of work, and he did it with a smile and professionalism.   He was wonderful.  As for the side dishes, the tater tots are fabulous, mac and cheese really good, asparagus cooked perfectly, sauteed mushrooms delicious.   The key lime pie at Chops used to be a favorite....not anymore.   It was a key lime meringue pie, but between the meringue and the key lime filling, there was a piece of sponge cake.   Nobody at the table seemed to like it, but I think we survived because the meals were so good.

MDR - My Time Dining
We ate at the MDR 3 times.   The food has slipped as others have said.   We certainly didn’t go hungry, but there were some dishes that were disappointing.  Just some random comments and thoughts on that as follows:

• French onion soup the first time was so salty it was almost inedible (confirmed by all at the table).   Did not get it again, but the next time we were there, others in our party said it was not as salty.  At least it should be consistent!  
• All of us noted the Caesar salad that first night in the MDR was warm/room temperature, rather than served cold.  Four of us that had the salad noted that a room temperature salad is not a good thing.   Future nights, the salad was cold and crisp.   Again, a consistency issue.
• The roasted tomato soup was excellent!
• We couldn't find the savory bites anywhere (those delicious little nuggets in a breadbasket), but having said that, the dinner rolls on the table are superb and there was a variety to choose from.   
• Creme brulee had good flavor but was really runny under the caramelized topping (both nights).
• Those that had the apple pie ala mode enjoyed it.
• Those that had the royal chocolate cake and the molten chocolate cake enjoyed it.
• The carrot cake was different, there was cream cheese frosting, but hard white chocolate on the top.   I didn't care much for it.
• Prime rib meal was very good, everyone enjoyed it
• One night when I didn't like anything on the menu, I ordered the grilled chicken breast - it was good
• My son thought the pasta carbonara in the dining room was excellent (much better than he had earlier in the week at Giovanni's Table)
• Shrimp cocktail was never good - always watery 
• The waitstaff was good, but we remember a time when water glasses were refilled without sitting empty and having to ask, breadbaskets were filled when empty
• After dinner coffee one of the nights in the dining room was served to 6 at our table, and the coffee was room temperature - instead of waiting for new cups and better coffee, they headed to Cafe Promenade for some coffee
• Vidalia onion tart, always a favorite of mine, is different.   It was very yellow and eggy.  First time ever I didn't finish it.
• Pasta Bolognese I ordered one night was great (as a side dish since I don't like potatoes), and the next night, it seems they put the pasta in the bowl, put the meat in the bowl, but never added the sauce.   It was basically plain noodles with crumbled met on top, no sauce at all.
• My son sent the lamb back, he said there was something not right with it at all.  

 

This will conclude my first installment, and I will continue when I can and will try to categorize as much as possible so I don't ramble too much!   Feel free to ask questions.   

PS:  After cruising once a year, this was our first cruise since 2014, so it was wonderful to be back on board and take a cruise.   We definitely noted changes that might seem more subtle to others than cruise more frequently.

 

 

 

 

Did you by chance have the surf and stream internet package? if so how was it?

1 hour ago, migirl2014 said:

Thank you for the heads up on the beverage discounts as you helped me save money. If I see a better price, can I cancel on the cruise planner and buy at a lower price or do I need to call Royal Caribbean? Thank you!

You can cancel on the cruise planner and get a refund, then purchase again.  

I am showing 15.00 per day for my 6 night Adventure cruise for the refreshment package.   What does that package normally run? 

Question....I see you can "buy" casino credit ahead of time and get bonus money.   Has anyone ever done this?  Do they give you chips or can you use on slots?   

Thanks for the review.  How was the wifi before the snafu? 

What was the entertainment show for your cruise?    Thanks !

I am interested in this too.   The last cruise on a smaller ship, they cancelled it due to lack of people signing up, so I am hoping I can do it on the next cruise in two weeks.  

Is there still a way to set your preferences....ie water versus soda, beds together or apart,  on the website?  I thought you use to be able to do that but I can't seem to find it.

Thanks !  

Are you able to use this package while dining in a specialty restaurant ?  

Thanks

Great review so far.  We are on Adventure in 3 weeks so enjoying your feedback.

I have one question about the drink package.  You make it sound very enticing.  We are not big alcohol drinkers, so we may give this a try.   Can you use it for specialty coffee or non alcoholic frozen drinks at the specialty restaurants ?   

Thanks !  

Think I will pass on it.   I had a feeling it would be the older system, and we get by without it before...soooo  no need to change things now.

Ashland will definitely let you know.  Looking forward to this cruise.   We actually switched from Allure to AOS for timing reasons, but love this class.   

Was debating ordering Voom on Adventurer of the seas on our upcoming cruise.  Has anyone had experience with Voom on this ship, and if so, how well did it work? 

I know it can vary ship to ship.

Thanks! 

All I can say is never book a suite 🙂     

This looks so different !