loman

1 hour ago, NSPenny said:

• The Solarium is the best secret for boarding day. Even though the pool area is adults only the buffet there is not and there is seating inside  I was on Symphony recently and it was a great spot to hang while the crowds descend on the Windjammer.  

1 hour ago, NSPenny said:

• The Solarium is the best secret for boarding day. Even though the pool area is adults only the buffet there is not and there is seating inside  I was on Symphony recently and it was a great spot to hang while the crowds descend on the Windjammer.  

Good advice, i did the same on the Harmony after i got a couple of pizza slices at Sorrentos .

It was relatively empty too.

Yes there are some changes as noted  , but overall , it will  be fine.

Enjoy your cruise .

A friend asked to see our cruise pictures . I never took any , lol .🙂

Never got my free diamond picture either as we never had one taken. 

We dont do pictures .

And i dont want to see others vacation pictures either . 🤣

Meh , i pay the gratuities in advance and let the company figure out who gets what .

You can get pizza on deck 5 and then check if the hot dog place is serving on the boardwalk on deck 6 .

By then maybe the lines are gone in the windjammer and you can get a seat there.

Nice pics, thanks for sharing. 

2 hours ago, OnTheJourney said:

I'm willing to try it, if one of the big ships comes into Bayonne or Baltimore. Surely wouldn't fly anywhere to do a large ship solely for the sake of seeing how I like it, unless it's some amazing itinerary. I strongly suspect any large-ship experience would be once and done. Our cruises with Viking, with only 900+ passengers (let alone no kids!) has really got me liking their smaller ship feel. Easier to navigate for one thing. And, all their ocean ships are exactly the same! That works for me too. Less time spent learning a new ship layout = more time spent just enjoying being out on deck and such. With being 'directionally challenged', by the time I'd sort of learn my way around something like the Icon, the cruise'll be over.

I know the Symphony is in Bayonne in September . 

The ships are very easy to navigate with the Promenade going down the middle of the ship on deck 5 .    Boardwalk on 6 and Central Park on 8 .

Lots of activities and entertainment and plenty of places to eat.

Check out some youtube videos on Oasis class to get a feel for it and see if you might like it.

You should prebook shows before you go , and some pax dont like that. Or just show up and you can typically get in after the prebooked pax enter for most shows. ( comedy club maybe not )

Whatever you choose , enjoy your cruises !

18 hours ago, OnTheJourney said:

Amazing for sure, and neat article. Somehow, though, I have zero interest in sailing on that big a ship. Largest I've ever been on is the Adventure. I wouldn't mind trying Oasis class at least once I suppose.

We tried the different classes of RC ships and decided Oasis class was the best fit for us.

We had 645 MTD on Harmony. 

We would show up at around 6 and the gatekeeper would check for empty tables on any of the 3 floors. No other pax were around and no lines.

We needed a two top and were seated within 5 minutes.

You will get different waiters every time , but we dont mind as they were all great.

Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Miami Brickell Downtown

This one is highly rated , but dont know about a shuttle. 

Free breakfast though .

You captured the ship beautifully through your photography . Well done ! 

We are not messy , there is nothing left out and about, the few pieces of paper go in the trash along with a couple of water bottles and we pull up the sheets on the bed so it looks tidy.

We dont consume any food in the cabin either.

So late room cleaning works well for us.

OTOH there are some rooms we go by and look in , and it looks like a crime scene . 

Only thing missing is a body.😂

1 hour ago, SSPhone said:

I started a booking last week for a 7 night out of Tampa. Cost for a Balcony $3100 total, by the time I was done the rooms were sold out. Got a email this morning to complete the booking so for grins I tried to complete. Now the room is $4500. What the heck RCCL?

Have you tried a travel agent , they sometimes have group rates and could save you some $$

I book direct with RC and never have any problems . 

I think its because i know what i want and then dont make any changes.

Only thing i call in for is price drops and that was always handled well.

I used a TA the first couple of cruises and would never get a response from

emails or voice mails i left. 

They cost me a lot regarding price drops.

I will check out a particular TA the next cruise though. He seems like he would do a good job 

by the responses he gives on various questions.

32 minutes ago, abbydancer said:

Since apparently wine and beer are free all day, if we it after happy hour, and just want wine, can we get the lounge wine free from the servers, or do we walk over and get it ourselves?  Or am I missing something?

 

 

Our server who latched onto us day one would ask us if we wanted wine with meals at coastal kitchen

and if the bartender was busy he would pour it himself . He was the best ! 🙂

Me, i just do without for the week i am on the ship , and eat other free stuff included in the fare.

We fly in , and would only go to Miami or Fort Lauderdale . We prefer the latter.

23 minutes ago, Oceansaway17 said:

oh dear now something else to think about.   I would think it would be a lot of work to separate towel just for animals.  I hope they clean it all the same.

I wouldnt worry about it. RC isnt going to put anyone at risk . 

I would think everything is put through scalding hot water in those industrial washing machines.

Not much bacteria would survive that.

10 minutes ago, schooner_Drinker said:

If they came from a bag under the bed  (never said they were dirty)

Who knows how long those have been there? 

Nancy 

Im going to put my trust in RC to provide clean towels whether they came out of a bag or off a cart in the hallway. They may be replacing the towels in your bathroom that they got from the bag also .

How would you ever know ? 

20 minutes ago, schooner_Drinker said:

You do know those towels they use to make the animals are not cleaned like the bathroom towels 

 

Next time you cruise look under the bed, you will see a bag of towels 

 

Been our experience on every cruise we have taken this year, and that’s a few in many different ships  (even in the bag under the bed was a smaller bag with accessories)

On our most recent short 4 night cruise we had an animal for the last 3 nights 

We don’t dress up our pets at home, let alone a towel animal 🦒 

 

Nancy

Are you saying they use dirty pre-used towels to make the towel animals ?

5 minutes ago, xyzcruiser said:

Haven't cruised RCI since before covid. Does platinum priority give you the ability to drop your carryon in the cabin as soon as you board as it does on Carnival?

Yes, as long as you board after about  1:30 pm when the cabins open up .

Sounds like the OP picked the wrong ship and cruise line to their liking. 

RC is no longer meeting their needs.

RC seems to be catering to a younger demographic anyway.

Fortunately, there are many other lines to chose from.

I dont do anything to them ,  i just like the extra towel aspect when i disassemble them .

I would just close it myself in the morning and get late service while at dinner and have the attendant set it up for sleeping at that time.

We are not in the cabin at all from when we go to dinner until its time to go to bed.

32 minutes ago, doghog said:

Bummer. We prefer to sit together. 🤣

good one   lol 😂