davy jones

On 8/29/2022 at 8:18 AM, bobmacliberty said:

My only complaint is that the show is very formulaic.  Turn around day is crazy, the captain has to make a difficult docking (often with a pilot who was late), there's a late bus returning from an excursion and the captain is mad that he may not be able to leave on time, the exec chef checks out food on the dock and tastes things in all of the kitchens, there's a mechanical problem that the crew must urgently fix, etc.  I wish they'd change that up a bit and show more of the ships and their activities.

Agreed!  They do contrive a lot of "drama" from the every day operations.  Perhaps an episode should leave a pier runner behind.  That would be a warning to those who have one last drink at Senor Frogs because they believe that they will wait for them.

Can recent cruisers please let me know if my memory is correct on beverages available at the Windjammer.

Coffee, Tea, Breakfast juices, water, iced tea, milk, hot chocolate, and lemonade.

Any additions or deletions?

For upcoming cruise, the cabin was assigned within an hour of making final payment.

14 hours ago, clskinsfan said:

We booked a GTY oceanview one time. We got a room right over the anchor chain. Will never book a GTY again 🙂

In general, I like to avoid far forward cabins due to possible motion issues.  The anchor would be another reason if the sailing includes tender ports.

6 hours ago, little britain said:

Because they keep putting the same ship back into the same market, year after year, we’ve all seen it sooo many times already!

I wish they would mix up the ships a bit so we see different shows, different decor, and different pictures to great you in the 🛗! 

I guess that there are far more people that repeat the same ship than I thought.   It's probably a larger issue with Anthem, which sails from a NE homeport with fewer alternatives than FL.  We alternate between ships and cruise lines so it's an issue that we haven't thought about very much.  We haven't sailed Anthem in several years, so we will see the Queen show as a different form of a cover band.  

Another option might be to rotate the shows across different ships every couple of years, but I don't know how expensive that might be.

On 8/13/2022 at 2:07 PM, John&LaLa said:

 

It's real crab, just not very much.

 

Overall dissapointment 

They have so much filler that they should be called crab fritters, but that would be a putdown of fritters.

You don't need to reserved the Queen show any longer?

Must be long lines then.

 I rarely eat lobster when I am not on a cruise ship, mainly because there are many things that I prefer.  I don't know why I always try a tail on lobster night because most of the time I don't find it to be very good.  It strikes me as not cooked very well.  I never understood the big fuss.

However, we took a Canada/NE cruise on Carnival about 10 years ago.  The port call in Portland coincided with lobster night.  The lobster tails that night were excellent and universally praised.  My only thought was that they had them delivered to the ship during the port call.  I really can't picture a mass market chef going ashore to the local markets to purchase a thousand or more lobster tails for the evening dinner.

That was when I understood why lobster is a highlight to many.  Sadly, every cruise since has not lived up to those tails.

My cruise booking includes a specialty restaurant dinner for 2 voucher from the TA.   

The cruise planner does not permit a reservation without advance payment.  Is there any way to reserve in advance and pay onboard? 

It's all about supply and demand.  The goal is to sail with a full ship.  Empty berths do not generate onboard revenue.  If the sailing is not selling as expected, prices will drop, particularly if it is after the final payment date.

3 hours ago, shipgeeks said:

What's the big hurry?  After the stress of getting to the ship, boarding, waiting for luggage, unpacking, it's nice to have a leisurely dinner and conversation with our new tablemates. 

Some may want to get to shows or other activities, particularly if they have MTD.

16 hours ago, footzz said:

 Anyone who's ever had Maryland crab cakes in Maryland would have serious doubts about the authenticity.

They really should not serve those crab cakes on cruises out of Baltimore.

removing double post

Are there chutneys to go along with these Indian dishes?  Sounds like they are worth a try.

Not too long ago (pre pandemic though), there was some kind of chicken dish on the embarkation lunch that many people liked.  I forget what it was called.   

29 minutes ago, S.A.M.J.R. said:

It depends on the ship.  You may not be able to make reservations until you're at the pier, if not actually on the ship.  And, depending on the ship, you may not even need reservations. 

It's Anthem.  I expect that reservations may be best for the Ifly, the pod, and some theater shows.

I have planned dining for our upcoming cruise.  You can also book shore excursions, etc.

We are inside the final payment window and reservations can not be made for shows and other onboard activities.  How long before sailing does this open.

Booked a balcony GTY deal on a Quantum class ship.  Received my cabin assignment within an hour of making final payment.  Pleased with location.

I have not read through the responses, but will give my thoughts. 

I understand what you are saying.  It is something that we feeling before COVID, not just about Royal, but also their competitors in the mass market space.  The symptoms were there before the pandemic.  Discussions about cutbacks, reduced quality, reduced service, upcharges, etc. were common on these boards then.  Many have observed and reported even more of the above since the restart.  Pandemic issues have added an entirely new and different level of concerns.

Pre pandemic, we were having similar concerns.   Our feelings can be summarized in 3 categories.

1.       Issues of decline discussed above.

2.       Ships too big and crowded with new things that we have little interest in.

3.       Changes in our own preferences over time.

In 2019, we decided to take a look at cruise lines a level up.  We sailed on HAL and found the smaller ship, service, cuisine, and other amenities more to our liking.  Since we like variety, we recently took a cruise on X and had similar feelings.  You may wish to try some of these lines.

However, it is not utopia.  You will find similar discussions that these lines are “not what they used to be” on boards for those lines.

We have not left the mass market lines altogether, but our go to line preferences have changed.  If a really good deal presents itself on one of them, we will take it, knowing fully what to expect.  We enjoy these cruises by focusing on things we like and avoiding things we don’t when possible.  The balcony can always be a relaxing alternative to the pool deck. 

We had a very enjoyable Carnival cruise doing this on a ship sailing at reduced capacity.  We also have an upcoming trip on Anthem and will do the same and base future decisions on that experience.

Mediocre drinks and a marketing pitch.  We no longer attend.

First cruise.  1982 on Holland America NYC to Bermuda.  You can't compare today to this, but I do like today's less formal vibe.

One you never forget for obvious reasons.  Explorer of the Seas 10/28/2012.  Hurricane Sandy.  For us, it was not nearly as bad as some said that it was.  The worst thing was that our car parked at Cape Liberty was one of many totaled by the flood.  Returning to the scene on 10/29/2022 for 10 year anniversary sailing.  Taking no chances, we will be parking a couple of levels up in the parking deck that has opened since then. 

2 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

IT's a good default beer me (I grew up in PA). I'd never seek it out at a bar, but if someone handed me one, I'd enjoy it.

The home brewery is in the area,  It's pretty much everywhere around here.  Popular after a round of golf.  

I try different drinks onboard.  If I had to choose only one, a good margarita would be the cocktail of choice.

I have seen turkey sausage or turkey bacon, but never carved turkey at breakfast.  I might give it a try if I saw it.

If I ever pay that much for a 5 day cruise, it's going to be on an ultra luxury line.