OBX-Cruisers

I read on one post that the Tutti Salad bar is no longer available on their cruise.  Has this been eliminated on all ships or just the big ones?  Wife loves this and we chose trips with many sea days just to take advantage of this healthy alternative that was very unique and enjoyable.

I searched RCI CC site but no hits answered my question UNTIL the thread showed up after I posted this question on how many ships have/don't have this salad bar.

On 4/29/2024 at 8:43 PM, MaxandEmme said:

Hello! We booked our Wonder of the Seas cruise Dec 2024, do you think a 10am return flight would be too early? Please note that we plan on keeping our suitcases with us to disembark early and will be hiring a private car to pick us up for transport to MCO. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance! 

A few more critical details would certainly improve the ability of people to respond.  Date of return; need to check luggage; TSA status?   All would be critical but overall the answer to your question that is most accurate is: Don't Do It.  

Your final decision is likely the best idea when you consider all the potential points of delays.

4 minutes ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Based on cruisemapper site you are headed for Bermuda, not that far away now.   

Odyssey is right ahead of you.   

I hope the person will be ok.  🙏 Bermuda should have a good hospital.

Odyssey had to detour to Bermuda because they had an ill crewmember that needed to be airlifted off the ship

I saw on the daily paper that the Oasis is hosting the "Nations Scavenger Hunt".  NOW I am really really wanting to be on your cruise.  We did this on one of the Royal cruises and it was the best thing we ever did on a cruise.  The cruise members themselves love it and they help you out finding other cruise members from countries that you need often telling you where to go to find a member from a particular island, country etc. 

 PS:  Watch for the crew who look like they work in the engine room if/when you need Romania.  

Laurieal thanks for the reply to my question about your camera/phone that you are using.  Your pictures and commentary are so good that RCI should be paying you for helping the rest of us understand the logistics of getting from one place to another to get to their cruises.  On one of our TA cruises my wife tripped and hurt her knee sufficiently badly that I ended up pushing her in a wheelchair for most of the cruise and afterwards is disembarking and getting to and from the airport.

YOU are one courageous and adventurous soul and I along with many others will be following you vicariously and joyfully.   Unfortunately wife now has Covid that is a curse STILL with us.  No cruises for us while you are on yours so enjoy your time on the Oasis; Solarium Bistro is my favorite for early breakfast and snacks; much nicer than Windjammer and usually not very crowded

.

17 hours ago, S.A.M.J.R. said:

I'm betting it has something to do with showing a lower fare for passengers.  Tell me which would you book?

 

$1000pp for a seven day cruise

or

$1126pp for a seven day cruise

 

Of course, if you purchase the $1000 cruise, later on you find out they want to tack on an extra $126.  So you're paying the same, but $1000 looks better.  

Totally agree with the sales angle you mentioned but the cruise line would more likely charge $999 for that first cruise you mentioned (for the exact same reason).

I have to ask this once after following your adventures so far: your pictures are very well done as others have already commented (food picture actually too well done because they induce snacking). 

What are you using to take the pictures and are you prepared with the memory you will need for the Oasis photo extravaganza??

22 minutes ago, DennysDad said:

Not my problem. I tip cash to those who directly wait on me. I cannot subsidize the salary of two thousand employees. 

My brother and law and his wife went on one cruise and HE was similarly SHOCKED about gratuities and that he actually had to pay extra for a Soda.  They never went on another cruise...........fortunately.

The cruise lines would save a lot of grief if they just raised the cost of the cruise $20-$30 depending on cabin type and did away with what they call "gratuities" but are actually wages for THEIR staff.  So until they do that, it would be mentally beneficial to just consider that extra amount as being the cost of the cruise.  We have ALWAYS tipped in addition to that amount because of the excellent care we have gotten on 98%+ of our 35 cruises (Norwegian being that outlier).  Interacting with the crew has been one of the highlights of most of our cruises, particularly the one where RCI had a contest to find crew members from a list of different countries.  THAT was the best experience of all of our cruises and the staff seemed to love the attention too.

For those who will be in Norfolk for this cruise, there are two great opportunities for you if you are not familiar with the area.  The Chrysler Museum (free) is an unexpected jewel very close to the port, and if you get there at noon you can see a free hot glass show in their annex building across the street.

Within a 30-40 minute drive you can go to Yorktown or Williamsburg, VA for a great history visit.

14 hours ago, Biker19 said:

There are no more sailings past the 4/12 sailing. RCI probably couldn't be bothered to try to sell cabins this close in - most of the time "last minute sale" for RCI is like 30 days out.

Not sure where Vision will be in April from searches on Cruise.com, RCL site or other booking sites which list none in April after the 12th from Norfolk. 

Sailings in May still stay Baltimore departure.  I thought I read somewhere that there would be at least 3 departures from Norfolk but don't quote that since I cannot find any site that shows April sailings.

RCL certainly seems to be taking advantage of this port change to Norfolk.  I looked at cabin availability and found that there are many unsold/available Veranda class cabins still available for the April 12th cruise and probably the others sched. in April as well.  However, the total cost is ridiculous (with "free gratuities") and  OVER $300 pp/pd  (>$5K for two people on a 7 day cruise??)!!!!

   We will pass so others can "enjoy" this ship with unspectacular reviews.

On 3/29/2024 at 11:13 PM, HBE4 said:

 

I get what you're saying and do not disagree with you.  It is possible that since Royal has not used Norfolk in a few years, they may not have the most up-to-date info available at their fingertips.  

 

Try the Departure Ports forums section of CC.  Lots of valuable information there & resources to ask. I found it most helpful when trying to find parking when sailing out of Galveston.  Hopefully the Norfolk folks are just as helpful.

I think what several people are saying is that if RCL is changing a port that the least they could do is to call the city manager and ASK where they should recommend their detoured passengers to park.  If you are in business you should at a minimum try to minimize the new situation for your inconvenienced customers.

   Nice to know how some cruisers are so experienced they need no help from anyone.  However, others seem to appreciate help after such a major and short term notice of a port change.

Although many of the posts here are faulting NCL (not anywhere near out favorite line) for not waiting for these passengers, few have commented on how long should the ship have waited.  The fact that the destination was in a high alert country suggests that maybe these passengers should have put THAT in first consideration about booking an excursion with an independent company not associated with NCL.  

I too have relied on MANY shore-based companies but typically use the higher cost ship excursions when safety and timing are critical vs. a few hundred dollars.

3 hours ago, Moparfiend said:

I have driven from Baltimore down to Norfolk. It's not going to be 4 hours.

If you are driving, plan for at least double that time (8 hours+), or go the day before. 
Key Tip: Get an E-Zpass so you can use that lane
 

DON'T go on I95.  We have done that trip often from the Outer Banks and NEVER go on I95 around Washington

6 hours ago, Williamsburgcruiser said:

The biggest problem with Bayonne is the lack of parking - a HUGE issue.  Even with the few ships they have, there's no parking to be had, except really, really far away - which is horrible.  

Excellent point ignored by others it seems.  Norfolk has been underused for many years now and it is a logical choice if the Baltimore port is out of service for months vs weeks.

14 hours ago, BND said:

We're booked on Vision for 4 and 12 April. There are at least 7 people missing. I know they'll work to clear the channel as soon as possible.  Not sure when the Carnival ship is due in but Vision is in 9 days.

It will take a long time to clear that bridge structural steel out to open the channel to ANY ship.  Sorry for those who will miss out but this is a catastrope for commercial ships as well.

On 1/21/2024 at 12:09 PM, lenquixote66 said:

We cruised on the Grandeur in 2015,2016,2017 and 2018 all in the same cabin because our Stewards were great and we loved the cabin.

I am visibly handicapped and the Hotel Manager was wonderful to me as was the wait staff.There were no negatives for us.However,having not been on the ship for 5 plus years I cannot comment on the OP’s issues.

You likely did those cruises out of Baltimore where we fell in love with the Grandeur along with many hundreds of people in that area during the years you mentioned.  We were on the Grandeur 4 times and loved each voyage.  It is very sad to see RCI letting the small ships go without proper maintenance and cleaning.  Their focus has now become money it seems from the reviews I have read about the changes in the buffet and dining room menus along with major changes in entertainment.  Apparently all their attention has not gone to the massive ships that make tons of that cash they are focused on.

I think "shocked" might be the appropriate word when it comes to copays and other costs with many/most "Advantage" plans.  They are cheaper but often you get what you paid for and end up paying the difference when you actually need the care away from the home PPO/HMO docs.

On 11/5/2023 at 6:59 AM, kazu said:

 

Just for clarifications sake, those are NOT lobster.  They are Langostino and part of a seafood dish with scallops, shrimp, salmon IIRC.

 

Koningsdam Sel de Mer was a bust for me as well in mid December.  And I did complain.

 

The entree was so overcooked I could only eat one bite.  Service deplorable.  I blamed it on me being solo at the time.  That’s a real shame that you too had a poor meal there.

 

I just got off the Rotterdam and 5 of us dined at Sel de Mer.  Everything was delish.  The Fruits de Mer (with lobster claws) was absolutely cooked to perfection.  I don’t understand how the experience can be so different on the two ships.  It shouldn’t be.

 

We have always found that even in our favorite restaurants back home, it depends who is cooking............Different chefs on different ships make a great difference in food quality

GIVE US BACK our GRANDEUR in Baltimore.............Love that ship and crew

On 9/6/2023 at 2:51 PM, ReneeFLL said:

I’ve noticed plenty of others have posted they are now looking at other lines also. I know we are. Prices and grats going up is one thing, but when food and service continues to go down that’s another.

 

If the $1400.00 is for 2 people for a balcony I think that’s a fairly good deal. If it’s per person then not so much.

There is NO such thing as a 10 day cruise for $700 per person for a verandah cabin unless you win the lottery.  It is understood to be pp if you have been looking at the ridiculous premium in going from OV to V....often double or more.

On 8/1/2023 at 3:19 PM, hrhdhd said:

I decided to book a HAL cruise for December after not sailing that line in 10 years. And I'm close to booking a Princess cruise for next May. While I am sure those lines have also had cutbacks, I want to check them out myself to compare.

We considered Celebrity our top cruise choice but will no longer book at the current prices and loss of many perks.  Menus on Royal Caribbean have taken a massive downward change and I read the Princess may have implemented even more drastic cuts than other lines.

Hope you write a comparison of the lines when you complete your cruises.

My pet peeve with HAL is their extremely stingy repeat cruiser awards program.  With fewer cruises on RCI vs HAL we have reached Diamond class.   RCI has a special lounge for Diamond  passengers (comparable to 3 star cruise requirement on HAL) , 3 drinks per person per night at any lounge or bar throughout the day and there have been perks for backstage and galley tours as well.  Before COVID RCI also had special check in lines for Diamond and above class (e.g., suites) but I read that some of those amenities have changed post covid.

   Because of many differences in quality of shows and other ship features, we now go on RCI as our main choice and only use HAL for itineraries we want.  HAL drove us away.

On 7/25/2023 at 11:23 AM, SailorMarg said:

If people would take a minute to read the comments, and replies, before posting they would see that this post is not about my not being able to access half and half.  It is about the historical and fleetwide intentional misleading of the customer as has been reported in these forums over and over.  My post is adding my anecdotal experience to that conversation

I really think you were totally correct in your first post that you are using a very trivial example for a possible much larger problem.  Therein lies the problem in the replies to your trivial example where you did not do the obvious thing to point out the mistake to the crew on the ship.  THEN, you might have some credibility in discussing/revealing the much larger problem many have seen in RCI degrading the cruise experience by eliminating items and charging for others once free