Cruise a holic

I would choose to dine in all four.  Each has a few different specialties.  Also try the speciality restaurants.  Eden our favorite.  Enjoy your cruise.

Weird.  Call

4 minutes ago, Illsticktocrusing said:

I recently change my room catagory to a higher catagory for my upcoming Apex cruise.  My MoveUp still shows the old catagory.  Should I reach out to MoveUp for a refresh or give it a week or two and all things will catch up.  I am about 40 days out.  Thanks for insights..

Cancel the bid and if you like start over with  a new bid

We only sit in the shade on the Oasis and all other cruise lines ships.  No problem finding a seat- unless you try at 11:00 AM.  Also late in the afternoon seats empty.  We like to sit if we don't have our family with us in the solarium near the bar- that level has nice shade.  My DH also had melanoma- early stage but it required surgery and a nasal flap.  Fortunately he had an excellent plastic surgeon.  He still goes to his dermatologist for body checks every three months and wears sun screen 12 months of the year-.  I do not get why people still sit in the sun?  Their skin not only is vulnerable to Skin CA- but looks leathery .  Not attractive at all.

You can get special coffee at cafe al baccio. So much better than “free” coffee. You can enjoy premium waters and fresh squeezed OJ.  Don’t have to bring oranges on board or a juicer. Not sure if permitted .  If you want, non alcohol frozen drinks. You can also get bottled water to drink in your cabin or on shore x’s. You will pay additional for wine which is alcohol 

1 hour ago, as3369 said:

The only problem with the drink package is that my husband doesn't drink any alcohol.  I do like the convenience of no hassle but would never make financial sense to buy the drink package.  I am more than happy to order a couple of complimentary drinks during the Captain's Club Happy hour.  Royal Caribbean makes it much easier by just issuing drink vouchers to use throughout the day.

Get the non alcoholic drink package.  Worth it

18 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

You really brought up a good point.  It is important to occasionally check the minimum and maximum prices.    I have had the same experience where they dropped after I put in a bid.   I revised my bid accordingly and won an upgrade.   My original bid was above the Max.

Now that ships are sailing full, it is wise to make a good bid if you are serious.  I would rather book at the current sale price as the packages are worth it to me.  Like the drink package, wifii and extra points-  The cost of those amenities are worth it IMO.  Also not having to worry about ordering cappuccino, special water, alcoholic drinks , soft drinks worth it to me-  No hassle or surprise bills.  However if you are sailing off season- especially on an older ship- you might want to gamble.

35 minutes ago, time4u2go said:

In France I've seen them dump the remainder of a table's bread basket into the remainder of another table's basket, and put it on a new table.  Didn't bother me a bit!

With the possibility of getting e-coli it should

1 hour ago, Etta1213 said:

Dentures? Toupee? 

Urine other body drippings?

15 minutes ago, FOXTROT said:

Agree 100%. Great show to put you to sleep.

We didn't like on broadway.  Unfortunately have been on the Oasis 3 times since CATs was the show.  We also have two more cruises on the Oasis, and we will not have a broadway show to attend.  The dates for the Oasis sailings work for us.  Fortunately we are sailing on the Symphony in three months and the show is Hairspray.  We love that show- think we saw on the Oasis many years ago and on Broadway. That show is full of energy and we will continue to enjoy it again.

If you enjoy the Oasis class ships, the Freedom class, while nice do not offer the same amenities.  I would choose an Oasis class ship over a Freedom Class ship.  More choices of activities, restaurants and overall nicer IMO.

Definately not 14.  Never book under spa or pool deck.  Others midship fine.  My rule, cabins above and cabins below- near elevators.

Just replace CATs asap.

On 5/5/2024 at 11:03 AM, RosieRoo said:

Unlike the Oasis class, the suite lounge and Coastal Kitchen are not in the same space. They are actually on two separate floors, not even near each other. Also on Oasis there is an actual bar in the suite lounge. On Anthem there is no bar in the lounge. They get the drinks from somewhere behind closed doors. The only time drinks other than the coffee machine are available is during happy hour. 

We were recently on the Icon.  The suite lounge  and coastal kitchen were a disappointment.  They were  small and very dark- nothing like the suite lounges on the Oasis class ships.  It doesn't have a sea view- but a view of the new indoor aqua theatre- not at all comfortable and inviting.  A big negative for that ship IMO However the suite sun deck was nice- offering food a, bar and hot tub.  Also negative not enough shady spaces for those of us who don't want skin CA

1 hour ago, Mapleleafforever said:

And some try to cover It up with loads of perfume/cologne.

Yuk. Perfume also offensive to many

I do not recall ever being able to sign up for Trivia or these types of entertainment in advance- if you want a good seat- get their early.

You have to calculate if it is worth it- if your cruise is port intensive- you will definately drink less- also typically first couple of days people drink more then slow down.  Just do the math- sometimes considering free non alcoholic drinks available, just paying for a few drinks might work for you.  Do the math.   Some like the idea of no hassel and take the package.

3 hours ago, BND said:

Most places we eat at wipe menus off after each customer.  The fact is, while these are significant sources, most healthy people won't get sick.  There's usually not enough of the microorganisms on things to infect someone, but it can happen on occasion. Poor food handling is a bigger issue overall and the cruise lines have that down.  We've caught a few colds over the years and at least one time someone admitted several days into the cruise that they had a cold when they boarded and they had shook my DH's hand at dinner the first night.  And, my DH caught a cold about 3 days in. 

I am also not happy with a "bread basket" on the table- do they discard unused bread or refill with additional bread and give to another table?  My mother hated the possibility of this and always broke each piece of bread in the basket so nobody could be use the bread for another table- didn't help her however!

16 hours ago, bonsai3s said:

Another example this week onboard the Ovatoon.

 

6 of us (all strangers) were waiting for the elevator.

 

We could all smell something horribly foul...like a dead animal.

 

One gentleman joked: "I didn't do it!" We all laughed.

 

We decided to call a crew member. He found a "dirty" diaper stuffed inside the garbage canister by the elevator.

Sometimes it is a passenger who is smelly.  Brought only a carry on and thinks he/she can use clothes over and over again without laundering them.  Please pay for baggage with airline and send your clothes out to laundry and dry clean often.  People sweat and stink.

14 hours ago, bajathree said:

On a side note...Utopia did away with Wonderland all together and replaced its location on 11/12 with Giovanni's....think that may be telling for the future of Wonderland.

Agree that Wonderland isn't for everyone- we didn't go after reviewing the menu- on celebrity E class, Eden is wonderful in contrast and has many options for all.  The bionic bar also is a wasted gimmick.  Made me a horrible drink in a paper cup.  The first time you see it funny- but it wears off quickly.  

27 minutes ago, ajtaylor29 said:

Totally agree! We always start out saying we'll be fine in a nice balcony cabin....then slowly talk ourselves into the suite because well - the suite life is so wonderful! Glad at this stage in life that we can afford to pamper ourselves a bit!

I'm hoping that Luminae is as good as Coastal Kitchen, because we're perfectly happy eating most of our meals in Coastal. We will usually have one or 2 specialty meals mixed in, and i'm sure on this 3-1/2 week cruise we'll want to do that a few times. Which are your favorite restaurants? I'm really looking forward to trying something new, since i've eaten in all the Royal restaurants multiple times!!

Lol!  Ditto

4 minutes ago, ajtaylor29 said:

Totally agree! We always start out saying we'll be fine in a nice balcony cabin....then slowly talk ourselves into the suite because well - the suite life is so wonderful! Glad at this stage in life that we can afford to pamper ourselves a bit!

I'm hoping that Luminae is as good as Coastal Kitchen, because we're perfectly happy eating most of our meals in Coastal. We will usually have one or 2 specialty meals mixed in, and i'm sure on this 3-1/2 week cruise we'll want to do that a few times. Which are your favorite restaurants? I'm really looking forward to trying something new, since i've eaten in all the Royal restaurants multiple times!!

We enjoy luminae meals.  However we also take a package and do three (or more) dinners in Specialty restaurants.  We have done move up's from Sky suites to Royal Suites or Celebrity suites, but ships are running full lately and we must sail prime times- so doubt we will luck out again.  But as long as we have access to suite perks, I am happy in a sky suite!

2 hours ago, SailorMan98 said:

Has anyone ever eaten at Izumi (non-hibachi) with a shellfish allergy and mind sharing the experience? I have a member of our group who has a severe allergy and wants to eat at the restaurant.

I don't think I have a shell fish allergy, maybe I now do- but got sick after dining at the Hibachi- Too much potential in Izumi and the Hibachi with cross contamination- carry an epipen also!  That is one reason  why I also hate buffets.  People don't always practice good hygiene and eat food with their fingers on the buffet line then use the utensil to get more food.    Yuk

55 minutes ago, ajtaylor29 said:

yes, we are splurging on this cruise since we're on for so long! 1st leg in a Celebrity suite, 2nd leg in a Sunset Sky Suite!

Great choices!  Since we started sailing in suites, we haven't been back to balcony cabins.  We love the suite lounge and  Coastal kitchen and on the E class ships the suite deck. We aren't wealthy but are getting on in years.  Our children are all married with families of their own and it is their responsibility to provide for their families.  We a spending their inheritance one cruise at a time!

32 minutes ago, rolloman said:

It is quite baffling to me the amount of people who desire to go on a cruise ship and physically get in a pool or hot tub. After taking well over 100 voyages to date, I actually don't think I have ever jumped into a pool or hot tub. Clearly, it is disgusting on land and sea to get in these community cesspools. 

I also limit going in these pools or hot tubs.  Typically I used to get Urinary tract infections after a cruise- from hot tubs and pools.  We were on the Icon in March in a surfside family suite,  not for us- it is a disney ship on Steriods. With small suites and cabins.   We love Oasis class ships and will stick to them.