RosieRoo

Just returned from a back to back on the Liberty. Nicola is in the Diamond Lounge but she will be leaving the ship after the crossing as she does not speak Spanish. I don't know who is replacing her but she said when she comes back from vacation she is going to either the Allure or the Oasis.

I see there will be a change to Mario Reyes on the Explorer..anyone have any experience with Mario? We have always had Francis, when Carlos goes on vacation...

 

Karen

We've sailed with Mario three times on the Liberty in the past and he was wonderful. He is always smiling and very attentive to the guests.

Got an email from Oana yesterday. Her info is that Mario will return to SR after his vacation. Now, we all know that CruiseCritic folk always know things before shipboard people.:eek:

 

Que sera, sera.

Not sure where Oana got her information, but Mario told me via facebook chat last week that he had just gotten notified that he was going to the Explorer when he returns in April. :confused:

Thanks!!:)

You are most welcome. Thank you for posting the 2013 deployment schedule on another thread. I am anxiously awaiting a transatlantic itinerary for 2013.

Anyone else with recent info about any of the ships??:)

I spoke with Mario Reyes today and he told me that he has just been informed that when he returns on April 9th he will be going to the Explorer of the Seas. He said he didn't know if this was temporary or not. Of course this could change again between now and then.

Thabks a million, I have not heard much about Oana Popa, not sure if that's good or bad......

It was the first time we met her. We had sailed with Mario two times previously and loved him. I understand that she is usually in the Diamond Lounge. We really didn't have much interaction with her but she seemed nice enough.

Just off Liberty of the Seas today. Nicola Baker, Diamond Lounge and Oana Popa, Concierge Lounge.

I did send an e-mail as well. He was prompt with his first reply, but I am still waiting for a reply to a question from a couple of days ago. I only contacted him because of all the good reviews I have read on this site. I also don't believe most of what I read, but I look at the recommendations from the people on here who have a lot of posts on this forum. Most of them have cruised a lot, as have I. I have not yet made my decision on who I will use in Acapulco.

I was actually referring to a thread Gumballz had posted on a tour operator in St. Thomas, not Rudy's rival. I also had personal experience with that tour operator that was less than spectacular so I do give her opinion merit.

I see that you don't have a ton of posts here. I think that when you have been around for a while you get to know whose opinion to trust. I have met some of these people on roll calls and gotten to know them on cruises, Gumballz happens to be one of them. I also had a similar experience on my Med cruise. There were tons of recommendations for a certain tour company and people were getting skeptical, but I did in fact end up using that company and they were spectacular. I guess that is why everyone was recommending them. So I guess some operators really are so good that people recommend them over and over.

I have not made any decisions yet about who I am going to go with. Hopefully I will make the right choice. I wish you luck in your search.

Hi, I have never actually stayed in a 7a but I did look into one on the Pride because I was interested in seeing what obstructed view meant. It really is just as you said, you can look straight out but if you look down your view is obstructed by the life boats. For the money it is definitely worth it, you get a balcony which is great. There are two cabins in that category that have huge balconies that actually run behnd the bank of elevators, one is handicapped and the other is not. 5236 is the one that is not handicapped. If you have the opportunity to snag that cabin you will get a very long balcony. My kids had that room on a higher deck and the balcony is very large. Whatver you choose, have a great time. I have sailed the Pride and two of her sister ships and loved them all.

I actually picked the date for my cruise based on when I could get cabin 1700. Fabulous cabin. Thanks Bonnie for your wonderful pictures. That's what led me to these cabins years ago.

I think that FCC's are future cruise credits that are given to people when they have a problem on a ship as a goodwill gesture from RCCL. Those are not the same as Next Cruise Certificates. I think that is why people are confused about the wording. As you notice in the above post no where do they actually state "Next Cruise Certificates". I think they fall under the category of "promotions and offers that include onboard credit".

I cannot give you an opinion on the specific cabin you are asking about but I stayed in the cabin right next door to the 9A on deck 7. No worries about the elevators. There is a little separate hallway that leads to those staterooms and it is very quiet. I did peek into the 9A and the room is much larger than a regular balcony. Couch is acrooss the room from the bed, more open space, same size bathroom as a regular balcony, but a much larger balcony. I think (but I am not sure) that the view is obstructed if you look down, but not straight ahead. Maybe someone else might know better about the view.