debates2

I haven't had that issue with Royal Caribbean. Matter of fact, I've made some great friends and we were inseparable throughout the cruise.

I don't want this to sound like a rant, but it kinda sorta is. Has anyone noticed the influx of unfriendly gay couples on cruises? I mean I can sort of understand why a lot of gay couples are unfriendly or maybe dismissive. Maybe they are on a honeymoon, or just want a vacation together without any other men in the way, but it just sucks when you try to interact with other gay men on a "straight" cruise, and they just put their nose in the air at you.

 

Maybe it has to do with the cruise line? I was on a Carnival cruise about 2 weeks a go out of Jacksonville, FL. I saw very few gay couples, but the ones I did see, they were just all snobbish and dismissive. I just thought to myself "Umm guys this is a Carnival cruise, don't know where the snobbish attitude is coming from". Who knows, maybe I booked the cruise for insecure gay couples? Maybe Carnival specializes in a different type of gay? It was a shame. The LGBT get together, NO ONE showed up except me and one other gay man. Of course we were both single and we chatted for a while, but he turned out to be a weirdo....Im guessing there just isnt a lot of gay men who travel with Carnival....and of course its easy to figure out why.....

 

I went on a Norwegian cruise in 2015 and I met the coolest group of gay people. We had a group of us who got together every night, a couple times for dinner, it was the coolest thing ever. No one felt insecure or stuck up....it was awesome....but idk, this last cruise, just was bad.

 

So I'm probably going to be told its Carnival...and Im sure thats a big reason why.

Same here. I've gone to the FOD meetings and no one shows. However, on my last cruise Dizzy's Lounge after 11:00pm became somewhat teh floating gay club.

I’m putting this out there because on our last several cruises, they have turned out to be a bust. Either no one goes or the few that do seem to want to keep the conversation within their own group. We were on the Brilliance of the Seas several years ago, and the gathering was quite popular. We even had several groups of straight people would join in. But since then, they’ve been pretty dead. Is this just not the thing to do anymore, or am I missing something?

May I ask? How much did you tip Mia! My boys and I will be sailing on the Ovation next September (Alaskan cruise)= for 7 nights) and have reserved the Royal Loft Suite. I've heard $100 per person is customary, in addition to the $17.50 they receive daily per person.

Hi Everyone - guess it's time to come back to reality! Just off the Ovation of the Seas, and Mia, our Genie, was wonderful. It's hard to describe the experience because it was so much more than expected and such a delight.

 

I'll start with my take on the Star Class perks, which can be found online. Usual caveat that Royal can change things without notice. ;)

 

I'm trying to remember all the questions people asked that aren't covered by the link above, so hopefully I'm covering them here:

• La Patisserie is complimentary. We had a large box of macaroons one day.
  
• Thermal Suite was able to be accessed by just showing the Star Class Seapass; there didn't seem to be a limit on the number of days (I know some folks were wondering if it was just one day).
  
• Specialty dining was either refunded before the cruise or during the cruise.
  
• Never had a time where the drink we ordered wasn't part of the package.
  
• We were given two wi-fi codes for complimentary access (there were two of us in the suite, not sure what happens if there are more guests).
  
• The higher end toiletries were really nice and a great upgrade from the previous ones.
  

Now, for our Royal Genie, Mia. All I can say is wow. I'm not sure I can be left to my own devices after being taken care of so well. She served as our main point of contact before and during the cruise.

 

She is so amazing, I don’t even know where to start. Before the cruise over email, she helped me plan activities better than some personal/executive assistants with whom I’ve worked. She went above and beyond helping me plan the perfect trip – for example, I asked for some recommendations for what to do in Cherbourg, and she not only provided some great sights to see, but also places to have lunch, a map with the places indicated and even a page with basic sentences translated into French!

 

Onboard, from the moment we checked in, it was clear that we were in very capable hands. She escorted us to our suite, where she had champagne and canapés ready for us. She also had our daily schedule printed out for us. She also had a fantastic knack for knowing when to be “there" – she would suddenly appear at whatever bar we were at and escort us to dinner to make sure there weren't any issues. She confirmed all our reservations and also reminded the restaurant staff of my partner's gluten allergy, so it was just taken care of without us having to go into a lengthy explanation and worrying that there may be a mix-up.

 

We booked three private excursions, and Mia contacted all of the operators/guides the day before and day of to make sure that she knew where they were picking us up and the time. When we walked off the gangway, there she was and could escort us right to our driver. Talk about white glove treatment! Final disembarkation in Southampton took only the time it took to walk from our suite to the car we hired – that’s never happened to me before! No stresses trying to locate anyone in a foreign country!

 

She also was able to snag us a private North Star ride, which was amazing (I wasn’t able to do it on the Quantum Transatlantic two years ago), and anything else we needed, we would just use the Loop app to contact her, and within minutes, she had taken care of whatever our request was – show reservations, spa treatments, changing our dining reservations, etc. The Loop app made everything so easy, especially for me who prefers to text vs. call.

 

On previous sailings, I would usually need to take care of all of these things myself by contacting the spa, restaurants, Concierge, Guest Services, excursion contacts, etc, but having Mia took all that pressure and stress off of me so that all I had to do was sit back and enjoy the cruise. No more running around or making calls.

 

In addition to her excellent service, her sweet and friendly personality was a treat. Nothing ruffled her feathers, and she was always calm, cool and collected. She had a knack for remembering details, like the reason why we booked this trip and connecting them throughout the cruise; the gifts and notes that she gave us were spot on – as if she was an old friend.

 

I'm not someone that likes to be waited on, and I loved that Mia was present when it made sense, but she gave us plenty of space so that we could enjoy the cruise too.

 

On a Regent cruise and some resorts, I had more traditional Butlers, and they kept looking to me to ask them to do something - it was stressful! Mia just knew what to do and when to leave us alone; she is way more than a Butler.

 

And, no, we didn't try the handmade cocktails, but if we had asked, I'm sure she would have been right there and that they would have been delicious.

 

Feel free to ask any questions!

:*Yes. The Royal Family

Suite provides two bedrooms and typically accommodate up to 8 guests.

We would need a 2 bedroom suite for our family of 6. Booking two separate rooms would not work for us. I'm more familiar with NCL and know they have 2 bedroom suites, but so far I haven't been able to find one on an RCL cruise. Am I searching for something that isn't even an option?

 

Thanks!

I'm a single parent of five boys - when it was only the four oldest the Royal suite was the best choice for us. Plenty of space and the extra perks made it a delightful trip for me personally.

I must first admit that I have not read all the responses, so if I share comments already received my apologies. If you are sailing on one of the larger Royal Caribbean seats you're entitled to being escorted on board by an officer; most likely the Guest Services Manager. Each time we've been in the Royal Suite there was a bottle of Moet champagne and a beautiful arrangement of roses.

The Royal suite is nice, but has only one bedroom and a sofa that folds out as a sleeper couch. You would need to request an extra roll away bed.

Thank you for your advice.

What were you playing (table games, slots...)?

How much per play ($1 slots, $5 black jack, etc)?

How much did you win?

What night of the cruise was it?

 

Just curious, excited to gamble one week from tomorrow! :D:D:D

I won $200 at a quarter slots machine.

Is it better to prepay these when booking our cruise, or to wait and pay them on the ship? Also if we prepay, who dont we have to tip, and who do we have to tip.

Thanks!

Prepay the gratuities. One less thing to worry about. I too have paid exta for service above and beyond for our room steward and head waiter. On RCCL you can prepay the room steward, head waitor and assistant waitor, but I'm not aware of any others. We've tipped special bar tenders and the concierge on the last evening.

Not soon enough!

When the wife and I were on our 1st cruise last month, we found that generally, most passengers were very friendly toward us, but, there were a few occassions when we were felt to feel 'lower class', for example, eating in the windjammer on Indy one night, we both decided to have something a burger.

 

On a table nearby, there were a group of people, tutting, and muttering under their breath about "these young people always eating junk food!" (we're both in our 30's, and this was the only time, apart from JR's we ate burgers!)

 

Another time, my wife was told to "Shut up, girl!" by a woman reading, when she was talking to someone else by the pool. Others were complaining about the amount of 'young people and families'. It seemed to me that some of these people felt that cruising was the reserve of the upper classes, and the more 'senior' folk. I even said to one that if they felt that way, don't book a cruise on a ship like Indy, which is a family-ship.

 

do others experience this? Or is it a rare thing?

I'm afraid if I were caught in the right mood and told to "shut up" I'd request the other party to shut the heck up themselves. Probably not the right response, but if I'm having fun and not being overtly loud, then mind your blank business.

Radio-

When will you be sailed on the Explorer to Bermuda? We'll be on the July 3rd sailing.

Don & Boys

Single gay father of four boys. I find it almost impossible to meet other families like ours. Two of my sons and I will be sailing on the Explorer of the Seas on July 3rd to Bermuda.

lakeloraine,

Thank you very much for the clarification. We'll be arriving by private car, so I wanted to make sure I understand the layout and drop off destination. My boys will be excited to hear we'll be able to see the Statue of Liberty from our balcony.

Don

Radio -

What a great service you're provided all of us. Thank you. My boys and I are extremely excited to be sailing on the Explorer in July. This will be our first sailing out of Cape Liberty. I'm a little confused regarding the pier and shuttle lay out - does everyone arrive at the terminal and are then shuttled out to the pier? Also, our cabin is located on the port side of the ship. Will be be able to see the Statue of Liberty from our cabin as we depart?

Don

I'm puzzled. I am a single gay, professional and parent. I have emotional, spiritual, financial and sexual needs like any other gay person. Why do we make such an issue of being different and search for FOD parties or being seating with other gays on our cruises? Be comfortable with who you are. You are more that just a gay man or woman and God forbid if we can't include new diverse, perhaps even straight friends into our circles. Have fun and relax. If you want to find a date or hook-up go on an Atlantis Cruise. I don't like straight people forcing their ideals on me and I'm not going to force mine on them.

I have sailed Carnival and Royal Caribbean and must agree with a previous comment made about the culture there within for 3 & 4 day cruisers, especially on Carnival. The longer cruises seemed less "party, party" to me. I have had more fun enjoying champagne with an elderly lady in her late 70's on my last cruise at an art auction. She asked me if I were gay and I told her I was and we enjoyed a great conversation.

My point - chill. If someone is throwing a glass at your head report those kinds of actions to Security. I'd be curious to know what prompted such behavior.

The same can be said about the Royal Suite on the Enchantment of the Seas. It is directly beneath the Windjammer Cafe on deck nine. Lovely suite, but I too had to take a sleep aid to avoid the constant table shuffling noise from above.

I just got back from a cruise on the Carnival Sensation and looked every day for something on a FOD meeting and nothing. Apparently, it must be requested.