yj_eugene

On 12/21/2018 at 3:54 PM, taglovestocruise said:

Not the cost but the trouble. Having your passport stolen while in a foreign country would be a big PIA trying to get  through immigration at you home  port.

Which is why we also have the passport card, and leave that in the safe so we can get back into the US if our passport book is lost or stolen.  We always carry our passport book when in a foreign country.  That's what it's for.

After a very underwhelming cruise on the Century many years ago, we are going to try Celebrity again, and are looking at getting an inside cabin on the Equinox.  Are there any inside cabins on the Equinox that are better than others, or even more important, are there any that should be avoided?   Thanks. 

It is possible to request they put a comforter under the sheets? Are their comforters even thick enough to make a difference?

Yes, I had a cabin steward do that once when they were out of egg crates. It did help, so it might be worth asking. We now just have a couple of twin-size memory foam toppers that are always part of our checked baggage whenever we cruise on Royal. It's a bit sad when you have to bring your own bedding anymore to be able sleep on a cruise. :(

Only playing devils advocate, what will you do if security takes your extension cords and your triple cube that you bring with you? Are you going notify the special needs dept. prior to your cruise and make the request anyway. Bon Voyage.

Oh, I already notified special needs the day of our final payment. I always give them the chance to provide either two cords or one cord with multiple outlets, but they never come through, which is why we bring what we need. If they take them and then don't provide us with a way to plug in two CPAPs, then I'll be a Royal (pun intended) Pain to them until they do. They can't be allowed make a rule to take away accessories necessary for medical equipment and then not provide adequate replacements. Not acceptable.

Yes, if you notify special_needs@rccl.com prior to the cruise, they will give you extension cords and distilled water.

My wife and I have both had CPAPs for 15+ years. During that time we've cruised Royal 28 times (#29 next week). I've contacted special_needs every time to provide an extension cord for each of us. *Never* have they provided two, and over 50% of the time haven't provided even one, and asking our room steward was usually met with "we're all out" after he tried to procure them. There's no way I'm not bringing two of my own extension cords in case we get none and a triple cube in case we get only one. I have no faith that either we'll each get one or we'll get just one with more than one outlet on the end that we can both plug into.

Bed placement for 12162 on harmony?

If a picture I found that claims to be 12162 on Harmony really is, then the bed is by the bathroom.

What I am asking for is specific info on how the cruise line handled a rare allergen

I'm salicylate sensitive, so it's best for me to avoid raw or undercooked vegetables, nuts, herbs and spices. I let Special Needs know before the cruise, and at our first night dinner the chef came to our table to discuss my issue for that night's menu. From then on, each night after our meal I was given the menu for the following night so I could select what I would have and list any special instructions. Worked like a champ. Don't hesitate to ask to speak to the chef to make your issue clear.

Anyone know why the Rotterdam is docked at Hellesylt today? It looks like passengers are not being let off, so perhaps an emergency disembarkation?

I've not heard this addressed, but I'm guessing they were waiting for the last 24 or 48 hours to do that.

One of the reasons is to allow gasoline trucks to be able to head southbound to replenish supplies.

AWhile water (defined as a "colorless, odorless, TASTELESS liquid") obviously can be enhanced by the addition of miniscule trace elements; the same cannot be said for salt. Salt (plain sodium chloride) has such an overwhelming flavor that any trace element is highly unlikely to have a significantly discernible flavor impact. Beyond that, the amount of salt reasonably added to any food is itself going to be miniscule -- making any discernable Impact highly improbable.

Ask anyone who has tried the selection of salts offered at 150 Park Place on Royal Caribbean's Oasis class ships. There is a vast difference in the taste among them, and they certainly affect the flavor of the food to which they are added. To flatly state such is not possible shows either your limited experience or limited palate.

While I would love to see 3 ships in SJU I just don't see that happening.

It would make much more sense for Explorer to return to Port Canaveral instead and replace Majesty.

My guess is that you'll see Oasis doing the 7 night Med runs in 2019, as she's due for a dry dock that year.

Seems that would be a perfect time to put the Passion in PC as a replacement for some shakedown cruises until Oasis gets back.

From Royal Caribbean Website FAQ section on "Room Service":

"Q: Are gratuities included in the room service charge?

A: Gratuity is included in the delivery charge for room service. Additional gratuities are at the guest's discretion."

That certainly wasn't the case when we were on the Brilliance last month. We were charged both a $7.95 fee plus a separate gratuity.

And so the thread really boils down to whether a $7.95 room service charge is something one can accept.

Based on our recent experience on the Brilliance, no way. Delivery took an hour (we were told 30-45 minutes), one item was forgotten, another was made incorrectly. When room service was free, we forgave the lateness and most mistakes (including another forgotten item from the free continental breakfast menu on a different day). Having to pay a $7.95 service charge now, there's no room for such tardiness, sloppy errors, and careless attitude anymore. We probably won't be using room service again, which is likely just fine with Royal. Make customers pay for crappy service, customers get fed up and stop using crappy service, service then goes away entirely because they claim nobody's using it, is probably their goal anyway.

Anyone know what movies are currently showing onboard? Thanks.

The Brilliance a couple of weeks ago had Star Wars: Rogue One, Sully, Masterminds, and La La Land playing in its cinema.

Adventure of the Seas - Snowbird Migration cruise, Quebec to Ft Lauderdale. 10/8/18 -10/21/18 13 nights

-Overnight in Quebec, Prince Edward Island, Sydney NS, Halifax, St John, Portland, Bar Harbor , Boston, Port Canaveral

Almost perfect. If only she wasn't doing that final night and instead ending a 12-night repo to her new home in PC ... :(

I know that's right. Why not some 9s and 5s or 10s and 4s. Do Key West, Labadee, St. Maarten. Anything different!

My guess is because a large percentage of their customers are not retired, not self-employed, and not able/willing to take longer than a week off from work to go on a cruise.

Only for the summer, then it repo's to Fort Lauderdale

Snowbird of the Seas :)

While there, the Los Brisas Hotel offered the crews special rates for liberty ashore.

Las Brisas was where my DW and I honeymooned. Our casita:

And the view from it:

How unfortunate that the beautiful city of Acapulco has become too dangerous to visit, at least for now.

That pic of RTDM VI was taken a while ago. She still has her original and multiple spa/gym windows. That area looks completely different now after the spa/gym extensions on all "S" and "R"-class vessels. Thanks for posting it; don't get to see that much anymore

You're welcome. Montreal, June 2003, as we were heading for the terminal to board. Will be aboard her this Fall for the first time since, so we'll get to see for ourselves what a difference fourteen and a half years makes.

We now have MJ here in Port Canaveral, which not too many people are happy about that "improvement", being they took Enchantment away to bring her in.

I for one am more than happy with the switch. I'd rather be on a Sovereign class than the EN anyday. When EN replaced the Monarch, I stopped taking 3/4 night cruises out of PC and instead drove to Miami because of the MJ. Now that the MJ is where she belongs, 3/4 nighters out of PC are back on the schedule. Now if they would just bring back the SV and MN and base them in Tampa and Jacksonville ...

Thinking of booking an inside cabin located directly under the bridge. Do you think there would be much noise coming from there (especially at night)? Anyone actually had a cabin before in that location who could comment from experience?

DW and I had the oceanview cabin circled in red below the bridge for 10 nights on the Rotterdam. No problem whatsoever, never heard a thing from above.

I'm sure I saw somewhere that RC was going to build a few more medium size ships but can't find the post. Is this true or was I just wishing it was true.

I wish. The only medium size ships RC builds anymore are lifeboats. :)

Yep, for me at least. I work in a job that requires me to be on call and the vacation time pool is usually a battle. The further I book out, the better chance I have of getting the time off I need.

Exactly the same issue for me, plus my DW's job also has time-off limitations, so sometimes we really do have to plan cruises more than a year out to be able to get both managements (and perhaps the coworkers who have to cover for us as well) to sign off on the same vacation period.

and some are counting for the '19 itineraries already.:rolleyes:.

And some are oblivious that other people may have to plan out that far ahead for various reasons.:rolleyes:.